T'U'GS 3:16/17/18 Revelations and Repercussions
by The Big Lazy Dragon
Summary: A series of abductions leads the clan to believe that Thailog has returned.
1. Revelations and Repercussions Part One

Revelations and Repercussions

Part One

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

**October 13, 1999**

**Manhattan**

Captain Maria Chavez was not having a good night. First her power went out, causing dinner to be ruined, and now her car was giving her grief. She glanced at her watch. She was never going to make it to the station on time. The way the car was acting, she would be lucky if she made it there at all.

The engine gave one more tired cough and then died on her. _I definitely need a new car,_ she thought for the tenth time that year. She picked up her cell phone and dialed the precinct. All she got was static.

"Well, that's just perfect," she groaned. Angry, she popped the hood and got out to inspect the engine. Ever since the old Toyota started acting up, she had gotten pretty good at basic repair, but as she looked inside, she could tell it was a lost cause. She closed the hood angrily and leaned against the grill. _This just isn't my day, _she thought.

"Hey, sweetheart," she heard someone behind her say. "Need a hand?"

She turned and saw three punks standing by the driver's side door. She had seen them before. They had a habit of showing up at the precinct, usually in handcuffs. One was thin and had his head shaved bald, the second was muscular and sported a severe high and tight cut that left the sides of his head bare, and the third was dark skinned and wore a leather jacket. At the moment, 'Leather Jacket' had his arm resting on the roof of her care and was giving her a predatory grin.

"No," Maria said. "I'm a cop and I just called for a tow."

"Ooooh," he said, trying to give her the impression that he was impressed. "You hear that, guys? She's a cop." They all started snickering.

Maria started to ease over to the passenger side door. _If she could just get to her purse and retrieve her gun,_ she thought, but then 'High and Tight' cut her off as she got to the corner of the car.

"Where's your badge, sweetheart?" 'Leather Jacket' taunted. "Maybe it's in your purse?" He pulled open the door and grabbed her purse off the seat. He opened it and fished around until her came up with the badge…and her gun.

_Crap,_ she thought. She couldn't believe she had made such a stupid mistake. _I've been behind that damned desk **too** long, _she thought bitterly.

"Well looky here," 'Leather Jacket' said. "She really is a cop." He tossed the badge to 'Bald Guy', who looked at it.

"And a Captain, no less," 'Bald Guy' said. "I guess we better help her out."

The way they were snickering made her nervous. She took one step back, intending to turn and run, when 'High and Tight' grabbed her by the arm.

"Oh, no no no," 'Leather Jacket' said. "We want you to stay and enjoy the show."

Maria grunted as her captor shoved her against the hood of her car, pushing her down until she was leaning across it. She managed to get her head turned so she could glare at them. She could see 'Leather Jacket's' hand reach for her.

She heard something land behind them. 'Leather Jacket' turned and then backed up against her, clearly startled by what he saw.

"Now that's no way to treat a lady," she heard someone else say. She knew that voice. _Elisa._ But why hadn't she heard Elisa's car pull up? "Maybe you boys would like to try to take me on?"

She felt 'Leather Jacket' suddenly get pulled away from her. From the sound he made, it was clear he was scared for his life.

"Should I take you on all at once," she heard Elisa's voice taunt. "Or one at a time, starting with you?"

'Leather Jacket' cried out, and Maria heard the sound of ripping cloth, followed by the sound of running feet. She managed to turn her head enough to see him running down the street, the front of his T-shirt ripped open.

Now she could see her, and Maria realized with a start that it wasn't Elisa Maza. It was a gargoyle. A gargoyle that looked and sounded like Elisa. _What the hell…_

The 'Elisa' gargoyle looked at 'Bald Guy'. He turned and ran without a single word.

Then she turned her attention towards 'High and Tight'. "I guess that just leaves you and me," she said. "Now what shall I do with you, hmm?" She settled her hands on her hips and pulled back her lips, so that he could see her running her tongue across her teeth, pausing slightly at the pronounced canines.

'High and Tight' had seen that look in her eyes somewhere before. As she took a step towards him, he realized where. He'd seen that same predatory look in a cat's eyes once, just before it broke a mouse's neck. Thoughts of self-preservation took over and he quickly let go of Captain Chavez and bolted down the street.

"Humph," the gargoyle said as she watched him run for his life, sounding very upset. "I just can't seem to get a date anymore." She turned and looked at Captain Chavez. "I think this is yours, Captain," she said, extending her hand.

Maria looked at the gargoyle's hand. Somehow, she had ended up with Maria's gun. _Must have taken it when she grabbed that guy, _she thought. She stepped forward cautiously and took the gun from the gargoyle's hand.

"Who are you?" she asked pointedly.

The sound of a police siren drew her attention away for an instant. When she turned back, the strange gargoyle was gone.

"Okay, Elisa," she said as a police cruiser pulled up. "You and I are definitely going to have a talk about this."

**23rd Precinct**

Elisa Maza was in high spirits when she arrived at the 23rd Precinct. She and Goliath were finally going to have a night to themselves. She couldn't remember the last time they had managed to have some free time together. She walked into the detectives' room and headed for her desk.

"Evening, detective," Morgan said as he caught sight of her. "You and Bluestone better clear out quick. Captain's on the warpath again."

"About what?" Elisa asked, looking around for her partner. Matt Bluestone was nowhere in sight. "Don't tell me the Toyota finally died on her." She recalled not seeing the captain's car outside when she arrived.

"That's not the half of it," Morgan said. "She..."

Captain Chavez poked her head out of her office. "Maza. My office, now!"

"Uh oh," Elisa groaned. "This doesn't sound good."

Morgan placed his hand on her shoulder. "Been nice knowing you," he said.

"Thanks a lot," she said.

Elisa sighed as she headed for Captain Chavez's office. "You wanted to see me, captain?"

"I had an interesting encounter tonight," she said. "I finally ran into a gargoyle."

"Oh?" Elisa said. Inwardly, she groaned. _Uh oh._ "What happened?"

"She rescued me from a trio of thugs," she said. "They took one look at her and ran for their lives."

Elisa smiled. "I guess the crooks in this city are starting to play it smart when it comes to the gargoyles," she said. "It just makes our job that much easier. Even if it is kinda weird."

"I'm willing to accept a certain level of weirdness in this city, Maza," Captain Chavez said. "But I have to draw the line when I start running into gargoyles that look and sound like my detectives."

_Delilah,_ Elisa realized, and this time her groan was audible.

"Care to comment on that, detective?"

"Do I have a choice?" she asked.

"Not really," Chavez said. "Who is she? And why does she look and sound just like you?"

_I was afraid of this, _she thought. "Her name's Delilah."

"The stripper?"

"If you called her that, she'd get really ticked off," Elisa said. "She prefers 'exotic dancer'."

"I don't care what she prefers, detective," Chavez said. "What I want to know is why she's running around with your face."

Elisa hesitated, wondering what she could tell her without revealing her own involvement with the gargoyles, Goliath in particular. "She's a clone," she said finally. "Anton Sevarius created her using my DNA and the DNA of gargoyle."

Captain Chavez was momentarily stunned by her answer. "Why?" she finally managed to ask.

"Who knows?" Elisa said. "You know what a sicko Sevarius is. He probably did it because he wanted to." Elisa decided not to tell her the real reason behind Delilah's creation; that Thailog had her created to replace Demona.

"Sevarius' personal life aside, detective," Maria said. "How did you find out about her? I'm assuming you've known about her for some time."

_Time for another half-truth,_ Elisa thought, grimacing inwardly at the thought. _How many times have I done that over the years? Dozens, maybe even hundreds of times?_ "She's been living down in the Labyrinth," she said. "Ever since she escaped from Sevarius. Derek…"

"The Labyrinth?" Maria asked and Elisa realized that the captain didn't know about the series of tunnels running underneath Manhattan.

"There's a whole network of tunnels running underneath the city," she said. "Part of it was turned into a homeless shelter by the Xanatos-Renard Foundation a few years ago. That's the part where Delilah's been living."

"And you found out about her how?" Maria asked.

"Derek told me about her," Elisa said, which was basically the truth. "He found her while they were getting the shelter set up." That part _was_ a lie, but Elisa didn't want to tell her the true circumstances of how Delilah ended up with her brother. It would raise too many questions. "Captain," she continued. "Delilah's a friend. She's almost like part of the family. And it's not like she's hurt anyone intentionally. Unless you want to count Tony Dracon."

Captain Chavez's eyes went wide in realization, remembering the report that crossed her desk concerning Dracon's arrest the previous month. "_She's _the one who put him in the hospital?" she gasped.

"Yeah," Elisa said, trying hard to suppress the grin that threatened to spread across her face. "She was kinda upset when his goons grabbed her off the street."

"Why…" she started, but then she remembered what line of work Delilah had been in. "Never mind," she said. "Just answer me this. Do Diane and Peter know about her?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "Like I said, she's like part of the family now. In fact, she's almost like a…" She paused for a moment as she explored the ramifications of her next word. "Sister," she said, changing her mind at the last second.

"Well, tell your 'sister' thanks for me," she said. "And tell her I'd like a chance to meet her again sometime."

"I'll let her know, captain," Elisa said before leaving the office. She sighed heavily as she saw her partner waiting for her by her desk.

"So what did the captain want?" Matt asked as he followed her to her car.

"I'll tell you as soon as we hit the street, partner," she said. "And believe me, you're not going to believe it."

**October 15, 1999**

**Destine Manor**

Dominique murmured softly as she relaxed in the bubble bath and felt Don's arms encircle her waist, pulling her against his body, and then closed her eyes as his lips brushed against the back of her neck.

"And you said you weren't in the mood," he said.

She sighed heavily. "I wasn't," she admitted. "Up until a few moments ago."

Don smiled as he reached over and took the bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket and filled a single glass, which he took a drink out of before handing it to Dominique, who drained it slowly.

The day had started out lousy, and she was in a bad mood when she got home that afternoon, having decided to take off early to avoid further aggravation. She had stalked over to the couch and slumped into it when she heard movement behind her. She was ready to spring on the intruder when she felt his hands close on her shoulders and began massaging them. _Don, _she had realized, recognizing the feel of his hands and she allowed herself to relax. She leaned her head back as far as it would go and found him looking down at her.

"Rough day?" he had asked.

She sighed. "You have no idea," she had said.

"I had a feeling when you missed our lunch date," he said. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," she said. She'd been stuck in meetings most of the morning, trying to fight off an attempt by another corporation to buy up most of Nightstone's available stock. They'd managed to protect themselves from a possible buyout, but it had cost them. And she didn't want to burden Don with her worries.

She felt Don's hands begin to drift down her arms, heading towards her wrists and she felt him lean down to whisper in her ear. "I know what you need right now," he said.

"I'm really not in the mood for that," she said.

"I'm not thinking about that," he said, which eased her mind somewhat. "I was thinking what you could use right now is a long, relaxing soak in a nice hot bath."

She moaned softly at the thought. Now _that _did sound wonderful, and she smiled at the thought. So she allowed him to lead her upstairs to the master bath, where he had a bubble bath already prepared for her, along with a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket. She had looked back at him and realized that someone at the office, probably Candice, must have called him and told him that she had taken off early, giving him enough time to get here and set this all up.

She leaned back into his embrace as she felt his hands drift to the buttons on her jacket and blouse. "I don't deserve you," she said.

"Everyone has a bad day every now and then," he said. "Even I do. You just have to remember that you have friends who care about you." He bent down and kissed the side of her neck after he opened the collar of her blouse.

"Show me how much you care," she said.

"We may want to get undressed first," he said.

So they had undressed, Dominique first, then Don joined her after she slipped into the tub. She relaxed almost immediately as he massaged her neck and shoulders before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. It wasn't long before the troubles of the day drifted to the back of her mind, where she tucked them away with the rest of her problems.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" he whispered into her ear. "Dinner, dancing, maybe take in a show?"

"You're kidding, I hope," she said. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't be seen at night on Don's arm, not if she wanted to keep her secret. Most of New York was already buzzing about the new man in Dominique Destine's life. The last thing she needed was to be seen with him while she was a gargoyle. It would be too easy to make the connection between the head of Nightstone Unlimited and Demona.

"Not really," he said. "You got stuck at work most of the day and we missed our lunch date. I was hoping maybe we could go out tonight. You could cast your illusion spell…"

"And the moment someone bumps into me or a paparazzi takes a picture of the two of us together, my secret is blown," she said. "I can't risk it, Don. There's nowhere we could go that I wouldn't be instantly recognized." She sagged against him, crestfallen_. And it sounded like such a good idea, too._ But she was right. They couldn't go out, not to any of the places she would have liked to go. Although there might be _one _place they could go…

"We could always go back to 'Bronco's'," she said, her face lighting up.

"Uh, uh," Don said. "Much as I'd like to, I promised Angela I'd never take you out bar-hopping again. I thought she was going to eviscerate me when I brought you home that night."

"I couldn't have gotten that drunk," she said.

"You said 'piffle'."

Dominique turned and looked at him. "I did not!" she protested.

"Yes, you did," Don said. "You said, and I quote, 'Piffle, full of piff!'"

Dominique almost sunk below the suds in embarrassment. "Please tell me I didn't say that at the bar."

"No, you waited until we got home," he said. "It was when Brooklyn and I were dragging you upstairs to your bedroom that you said it. Right after I told you that you were in no condition to see the twins."

She sunk even lower. She would have gone under, but Don wrapped his arms around her waist again and pulled her back up. "I'm sure they've all forgotten about it by now."

"I certainly hope so," she said, then sighed. "Well, I guess that means another quiet night at home," she continued. "Can you think of anything you'd like to do?"

"I'm getting a few ideas," he said, tightening his grip on her waist and dipping his head down to the side of her neck again. She moaned softly as he began sucking at her earlobe.

Her eyes shot open when the phone rang.

"It never fails, does it," he said. He reached for it as it rang again.

"Let it ring," she pleaded.

"What if it's your office?" he asked. "It could be important."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Dominique said. "Please, Don."

Her pleas went unanswered as he picked up the receiver. "Hello? Destine residence."

"Don?" came the reply. "What are you doing there?"

"Who is this?" he asked.

"It's Andrea," the caller said. "I was looking for Dominique."

"It's Andrea," Don said, covering the mouthpiece. "You wanna talk to her?"

"Yes," she said quickly, reaching around and plucking the receiver from his hand. She sat up as she brought it to her ear. "Hello, Andrea," she said. "How is Los Angeles?"

"It's great," she said. "Dominique, what's going on? What's Don doing there?"

Dominique looked over her shoulder at him. "Nothing's going on, Andrea," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing's going on, huh," Don said mischievously. He reached forward and ran his fingers up her sides, causing her to squirm. _Dammit, he knows I'm ticklish there, _she thought, suppressing the urge to giggle.

"Dominique, did I call at a bad time?" Andrea asked. "I can call back later if you want."

"No, no," Dominique said, trying hard to push Don's hands away with her free hand. "I haven't heard from you since you left for Los Angeles. Tell me, how is the show going?"

"It's going great," Andrea said, smiling as she heard the sound of splashing water over the phone. _Oh, Dominique, _she thought as she looked at an old copy of the _Daily Tattler,_ which had a picture of her friend and Don plastered across the front. _What have you been up to?_ "That's what I called about," she continued. "We're wrapping up the show tonight. I should be back in New York by this time Monday."

"That's won…wonderful, Andrea," Dominique said, stammering as she felt Don pull her close again and began running his hands along her belly and then lower. "I can't wait until you get back."

"I'll bet," the artist said knowingly, suppressing the urge to giggle.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing, Dominique," she said. "Nothing at all."

"What time will you be f…flying in?" Dominique stammered again. One of Don's hands had found its way to the tender spot between her thighs and was now caressing her gently, sending waves of ecstasy racing up and down her body. She was helpless now.

"I should be arriving at three Monday afternoon," she said as she heard Dominique gasp over the phone. She smiled as she continued. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I just…stubbed my toe, is all." She reached under the soap bubbles and tried to pull Don's hand away. As soon as she did, his other hand quickly took its place.

"Listen," Andrea said, trying hard not to laugh at her friend's apparent plight. "I'll call back later, when you're not quite so…busy. Have fun, you two." She hung up the phone and finally gave in to the urge to laugh out loud.

Dominique heard Andrea hang up and reached up to set the receiver on the cradle. As soon as she did, she quickly darted out of Don's grasp. "You are terrible!" she mock-scolded.

"So what are you going to do?" Don challenged. "Punish me?"

"I'll think of something," she said seductively. She moved forward, straddling his legs and resting her hands on his shoulders. She smiled as she bent forward to kiss him.

Don relaxed as he saw her lean towards him, so he wasn't ready when she quickly pushed downward as hard as she could, sending his head below the water. She held him down for a good five seconds while he thrashed around under the water, trying to resurface. She finally let him go and he came up sputtering. She backed away, smiling playfully.

"Oh, you wanna play, huh?" he said, wiping the water from his face. "C'mere!" He reached for her, his hands heading for her sides.

Dominique tried to escape, but he was too quick for her, pulling her back into the tub and she was quickly rendered helpless as he tickled her mercilessly. "Don, no! No!" she cried out at the playful torture. Finally, when she thought she could stand no more, he thankfully stopped and pulled her into his lap.

"Now, where were we?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

Dominique looked up at him and then turned in his arms, straddling his hips as he gazed longingly at her. "Here, I think," she said as she bent down and captured his lips with her own.

_The day may have started out lousy, _she thought, _but it certainly wasn't going to end that way._

**October 18, 1999**

**John F. Kennedy Airport**

Andrea looked at her watch, checking the time. It was almost four. _I hope she didn't forget about me, _she thought. Her flight had been delayed for almost a half an hour, and then their own landing had been delayed by another flight's in-flight emergency. Dominique did tend to be impatient at times, but she hoped that her friend hadn't decided to abandon her to the mercy of the New York cabbies.

She turned and looked at the line of payphones lining the wall. _I could try to call her, _she thought, but as she turned, she caught sight of a stretch limousine pull up beside her. The chauffeur got out to open the doorand Dominique Destine stepped out. Andrea breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried you forgot about me," she said.

"Never," Dominique said. "We got tied up in traffic." _I just hope it doesn't delay us too much on the way back, _she added to herself. The last thing she wanted was to undergo the transformation while stuck in a traffic jam, and she _definitely _didn't want Andrea to see it. "So how was your flight?" she asked as her driver took Andrea's bags to the trunk of the limousine.

"It was okay," Andrea said. "Our departure was delayed and then another flight declared an emergency, which delayed our landing. And the food..."

"Say no more," Dominique said, holding up her hands. "I perfectly understand. The next time you hold a gallery out of state, I'll arrange to have you flown out in the company jet. At least then you can get a decent in-flight meal."

"I'll hold you to that promise," she said smiling. "So how was your weekend?" she added suggestively.

"I...I didn't go out this weekend," Dominique said, which was true. She and Don had spent the entire weekend together at his place.

"Oh?" Andrea said, raising her eyebrow.

"It's not what you think," Dominique said defensively. "I was tied down..." She stopped when she caught the amused look on Andrea's face. "I mean tied up..."

This time, Andrea's hand shot to her mouth as she tried frantically to suppress a giggle.

"I mean..."

Andrea brought her hand up to stop her. "Dominique, please!" she said. "Any more and you're going to have me rolling on the pavement." She looked up and saw her friend blushing brightly through the tears in her own eyes. "Please," she continued as she wiped them away. "I think I know what you and Don have been up to."

"It's not what you think, Andrea," she said. "Don and I are just friends."

"So he's your _boy_friend."

"Andrea!"

"Hey, I perfectly understand," Andrea said. "You want to project this air of superiority about you so that you can intimidate your business rivals, but you don't want to admit that you're just as mortal as the rest of us. It's okay to have a love-life, Dom," she said. "It doesn't make you any less you."

Dominique looked at her in surprise. "When did you get so wise?" she asked.

"I had a psych professor who asked me that once," she said. "I guess it just comes naturally."

"You're not going to psycho-analyze me now, are you?" she asked.

"Not if you fess up," she said, smiling.

"Okay," Dominique sighed. "Yes, I am seeing him."

"I knew it!" Andrea said triumphantly. "I knew there was something going on between you two. I could see it even before I left for Seattle."

"Actually, it wasn't until after you left that we…well…"

Andrea smiled. "That's okay," she said. "I'm just happy that you've finally got another man in your life."

"That's the problem," Dominique said. "I…really don't have all that much luck with relationships. I don't know how long this one is going to last."

"What?" Andrea said. "You're worried about to old adage 'Once bitten, Twice shy'? Let me remind you of another one. 'Third time's a charm'."

"True," Dominique said. "Except that my third time was my ex-business partner, Alexander Thailog."

"Ouch," Andrea said. "I forgot about him."

"And there's another complication," Dominique said. "Don…" She paused as she looked at her friend. "How much do you know about him?"

"Not much," Andrea admitted. "I know that he disappeared during Desert Storm and that he was rescued back in July, but that's about it."

"Well, I know a bit more than that," Dominique said. "You remember Detective Maza?"

"The cop I saw at your house last year?" Andrea said. "What about her?"

"She and Don were engaged to be married before he disappeared," Dominique said. "And I'm fairly certain that she still loves him."

"Your life just gets more complicated every day, doesn't it," Andrea said.

"You don't know the half of it," Dominique said. She sighed as she looked at her watch. "We'd better get going if we want to avoid getting stuck in traffic again. I can drop you by your apartment if you'd like."

"Yes, please," she said. "I've got some fantastic ideas for a new series of paintings I want to do. I came up with the idea while I was in LA, and I may have some takers for some of the stuff I started before I left."

"That's wonderful," Dominique said as her driver opened the door and she got in. "Have you given any thought as to when you might hold your next showing?"

"Not until after the first of the year," Andrea said as she got into the limousine and sat down. She paused as she took in the interior, slightly envious of her friend's ability to afford something as extravagant as this. "This tour's left me a little worn out and I want to kick back and relax for a while. Have a little fun. Which brings up something I want to talk to you about."

"What?" Dominique said. She turned and produced a small bottle of champagne from a hidden cooler in the back seat and poured two glasses. One she handed to Andrea. The other she brought to her lips.

"I want to go as the gargoyle this year," Andrea said.

Dominique almost choked on the champagne. "What?"

"Are you okay, Dominique?" Andrea said in concern. "I didn't mean to startle you like that."

"I'm okay," she said. "I think I may have misunderstood what you said."

"Remember last year when we went to the PIT Masquerade Ball," Andrea said. "I was dressed in that gorgeous dress and you wore the gargoyle costume."

"I remember," Dominique said, even as she realized what Andrea was asking.

"Well," Andrea said. "I want to wear the gargoyle costume to this year's Ball." She tossed her head back, trying to appear seductive. "I think I'd look good in wings and a tail."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Dominique said, forcing a smile as her mind reeled. _What am I going to tell her? _she wondered. _I certainly can't tell her that it wasn't a costume, that it was my true form._ "I'll see what I can do about setting you up with one," she said. "But I can't make any promises, mind you. Gargoyles seem to be the rage this year, and I might not be able to find one as good as the one I wore last year."

"Don't worry," Andrea said. "I trust you."

Dominique sat back as the limousine turned onto the expressway, wondering what she was going to do about Andrea.

**October 19, 1999**

**A hidden location somewhere in Manhattan**

_All the pieces were finally in place,_ he thought, smiling as he watched the video footage of Dominique Destine greeting her friend Andrea at JFK Airport. They stood there for a moment talking and he could swear that Dominique was blushing brightly at something Andrea had said. _Probably some dirty little secret she had been keeping that had been found out. Interesting. _He then turned his attention to another video monitor, which showed Delilah leaving an apartment near Central Park. He wondered about that for a moment, but then recalled what his informant had told him about her recent activities. _She was certainly keeping odd company these days. _His attention then went to the clipping from the _Daily Tattler, _which was all about Dominique's most recent romantic interest.

"You two are certainly making things easy for me," he said with a smile. "I would be foolish to pass up an opportunity like this." He turned his attention to the computer and began to set his plans into motion.

"They won't even see it coming," Thailog said, laughing.

**October 21, 1999**

**Destine Manor**

Demona sat in her study, wondering what she was going to do. _Andrea wants to go as a gargoyle, _she thought, remembering the PIT Halloween Masquerade Ball last year when Andrea had gone in the elaborate French gown Demona had bought for her while in Paris, and Demona had gone as…well, Demona. _And she still thinks that was just a costume, _she thought. This year, Andrea had insisted that she go as the gargoyle, not Dominique. _Just how am I going to explain this to her, _Demona wondered. _Am I going to have to fess up and tell her I'm a gargoyle? _She didn't want to. _Dragon knows I care for her, _she thought. But did she trust Andrea enough to reveal her most guarded secret to the young artist?_ I may have to eventually. After all, Don knows and he and I are lovers. Of course, he knew about my secret beforehand..._

She looked at the phone, trying to decide. Finally, she picked up the receiver and started dialing. Then she set it down again. _Do I **want** her to know? And what will she think of me if I do tell her? _She looked at the phone, her azure blue talons still clutching the handset, her mind already running worst-case scenarios through her head. Andrea yelling at her. Andrea hating her. She shook her head to stop the images. _She'll probably hate you more if someone else tells her, _she realized. This time, when she picked up the phone, she finished dialing Andrea's number. She listened as the phone rang. She almost hung up when she heard the answering machine pick up.

"Hello, this is Andrea Calhoun," the recorded voice said. "I'm not available to take your call at the moment, but if you leave your name and number, I'll definitely get back to you as soon as possible. Ciao."

She hesitated for a moment, until she heard the beep.

"Andrea, this is Dominique," she said quickly. "Could you give me a call as soon as you get in? There's something I need to tell you."

She hung up the phone and breathed a heavy sigh. _I just hope I'm not making a terrible mistake, _she thought.

**October 23, 1999**

Don was standing by the stove cooking something when Demona showed up at his apartment. She tapped lightly on the skylight to get his attention.

"Demona, hi," he said, turning around and seeing her. "Come on in."

Demona pushed open the skylight and stepped into the apartment, remembering fondly what happened the last time she was here. _It certainly was a wonderful weekend,_ she thought.

"What's up?" he asked as he returned his attention to whatever it was he was cooking. Intrigued, Demona stepped over to see what he was up to. "Is this a social call or business? Or do you want to…" He left the statement hanging there, waiting for her response.

Demona smiled and blushed slightly. "Not tonight," she said. "I came to ask you..." She paused as he picked up a measuring cup filled with chocolate chips and poured it into the mixture he was stirring. "What are you making?" she asked, momentarily forgetting why she was there.

"Fudge," he said. "It's for the Halloween party in the Labyrinth on Sunday."

"Chocolate fudge?" she asked as her eyes lit up. She was almost excited by the prospect. She absolutely _adored _chocolate.

Don noted the gleam in her eye. "Yeah," he said as he removed the pot from the stove and poured the mixture into a nearby cookie sheet. "You want a taste?"

"Yes, please," she said.

Don smiled as he quickly scraped as much of the mixture as he could onto the cookie sheet and then handed Demona the spoon. She tasted the fudge mixture.

"Mmmm," she murmured. "This is fabulous!" She then proceeded to try to get as much off the spoon as possible while Don began cleaning up.

"I guess you like it," he said.

"You know I love chocolate," Demona said. She spotted a stray crumb on the spoon that she had missed and quickly devoured it before handing the utensil back to him. "Although, I could do without the walnuts."

"Sorry to hear that," he said. "I love 'em myself. But if you prefer it without..." Don stepped over to the counter and uncovered one of five cookie sheets full of fudge. Taking a knife, he cut a small piece out and handed it to Demona. "Here you go," he said.

Demona took the morsel and bit into it. _Oh, this is heaven, _she thought. She was tempted to snatch up the whole sheet and fly away with it. _I'm sure that will go over real good, _she thought as she finished the sample. "You have to share this recipe with Broadway," she said.

"I'm going to," he said. "He told me that Angela seems to have inherited your addiction to the stuff. You said you wanted to ask me something?"

The reason for her visit came flooding back. "Yes I did," she said quickly.

"Okay, shoot," he said.

"Have you seen Andrea recently?" she asked. "I haven't seen her since she got back from Los Angeles and I'm getting worried."

"She hasn't called?" he asked.

"No," Demona said. "I left a message on her machine on Thursday, but she hasn't called back."

Now Don was starting to become worried. He liked Andrea, although he didn't have any romantic interest in the artist. He was still exploring the full extent of his relationship with Demona. "Listen," he said, putting his arms around her waist. "I'll see what I can find out. Meet me back here tomorrow morning and I'll let you know if I turn up anything."

"Thank you," Demona said.

**October 24, 1999**

**Andrea Calhoun's apartment**

Don and Dominique stopped outside Andrea's apartment. Don could tell Dominique was worried. No one had seen the artist since she got back from Los Angeles, but that was a week ago. And he hadn't been able to turn up anything on his own. _Something definitely was up, _he thought. He rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang it again and still there was no answer.

Dominique knocked on the door. "Andrea?" she said. "It's Dominique. Are you home?"

Don put his ear to the door to listen, but he couldn't here anything from within. He touched the doorknob and gave it a turn.

The door opened.

"This is not good," he said. An unlocked door in New York was a clear invitation to burglars. And the fact that the alarm wasn't going off, a system Dominique herself had had installed as a precaution against the possibility of a break-in, also didn't bode well.

Don pushed the door open and went inside. When Dominique followed him in, her eyes went wide in shock when she saw the apartment.

The place was a shambles, and there were clear signs of a struggle.

Don quickly pulled out his cell phone and called the police.

"When was the last time either of you saw or spoke to her?" Elisa asked. She was officially off-duty, but when Morgan had called to tell her what had happened, she had immediately headed over to the apartment.

"A…a few days ago," Dominique said. "I left a message on her answering machine asking her to call me."

"Why?" Elisa asked quietly. She could tell that Dominique was shaken up, and that was something she wasn't used to. _She's usually stronger than this, _she thought.

Dominique looked at Elisa. "I was going to tell her my secret," she said quietly, not wanting stray ears to pick up their conversation. "I wanted to tell her everything before she found out on her own."

Elisa was slightly stunned by this. She looked at Don, who was standing behind Dominique and had his hands on her shoulders in support. _Boy, you **have** been a good influence on her, haven't you, _she thought. Even before the Newtech fire, Demona had been on a road to reform, thanks mostly to Angela, but it had been Andrea and Don who ended up being the turning points in her life. Now she was a completely different person from the maniacal she-demon of years past. _The fact she was going to tell Andrea about her life as Demona was obviously proof of that._

"You have to find her, Elisa," Dominique said. "If anything were to happen to her..."

"Don't worry, Dem..." she started but caught herself quickly. _These guys don't know about her being a gargoyle at night, _she thought. "Ms. Destine," she quickly corrected. "We'll do everything we can to find Miss Calhoun." She looked at Don. "Don, why don't you take her home and we'll let you know if anything turns up."

"Okay, Elisa," he said as he led Dominique towards the door.

After they were gone, Elisa started making a few phone calls.

**The Eyrie Building**

"Are you certain something has happened to her?" Goliath asked.

"Positive," Elisa said. "When we got to the apartment, there were clear signs of a struggle. It's obvious Andrea didn't go of her own free will."

"But who would want to hurt Andrea?" Angela asked. "She has such a good heart."

"Unfortunately, not everyone is like her," Elisa admitted. "There are still people out there who don't like gargoyles and those who associate with you guys."

"Is there anything we can do, Elisa?" Goliath asked.

"Yeah," she said. "You can keep an eye out, see if you can turn up anything. Angela, I think Demona could use your support right about now. You've known Andrea longer than she has, and I think you should be there for her if the worst happens."

Angela shuddered at the thought that something terrible might have happened to Andrea, but she knew that Elisa was expecting the worst. "I'll head over there right now," she said, hoping that Elisa was wrong.

Elisa's pager went off. She snatched it off her belt and looked at the number. "It's Matt," she said. "I'd better see what he wants." She picked up the phone and called her partner.

"Brooklyn," Goliath said. "I want you to take Sata and the twins. Check out the East Side. Broadway, Lexington, go with Hudson and check out the waterfront."

"We'll stop by the lass' apartment and let Bronx have a try and pick up her scent," Hudson said.

"Good idea," Goliath said. "Brooklyn, take Nudnik and do the same."

"Got it," Brooklyn said. "Let's go." As the others left, Goliath turned to Elisa as she finished talking to Matt.

"Thanks for letting us know, Matt," she said. "We'll get there as soon as possible."

Goliath could tell by her expression that something else was wrong. "What has happened?" he asked.

"Delilah's friend Kate is in the hospital," Elisa said as she hung up the phone. "Delilah stopped by her place to invite her and Danny to the Halloween party in the Sanctuary on Sunday and found her unconscious and the apartment in shambles." She paused before continuing. "And..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"What is it?" Goliath asked.

"There's no sign of Danny anywhere."

**Manhattan General Hospital**

Matt was standing next to the clone outside the ICU ward when Elisa and Goliath arrived.

"How is she?" Elisa asked.

"She's hanging on right now," Matt said. "She'd lost a lot of blood by the time Delilah found her and brought her here, but the docs think she'll pull through. It's a good thing Delilah found her when she did."

Elisa turned her attention to the hybrid clone. "What happened?" she asked.

Delilah looked at her and Elisa could see the tears in her eyes. "I...went to invite her. To see if she and Danny wanted to..." Her bottom lip quivered and Elisa could see fresh tears start to well up.

Elisa put her hands on the clone's shoulders. "Easy, Delilah," she said. "One step at a time."

Delilah took a deep breath and continued, fighting back the tears. "I found her on the floor, bleeding." She paused as she looked at her hands, still covered with Kate's blood. "I did what I could to stop the bleeding and brought her here. Closer than Labyrinth and they have her records on file." She looked at a nurse who walked past, who gave the clone a long stare. "They think I did it."

"I'll have a talk with them about that," Elisa said.

"Thank you," Delilah said.

"What about Danny?" Goliath asked.

"He wasn't there," Delilah said. "I thought maybe he went to get help, but he never came back. I call the Labyrinth, Talon said he's not there." She hung her head. "I'm afraid..."

"We'll find him," Elisa said. "Don't worry, Delilah. For all we know, he's back at the apartment. I'll call Morgan and have him swing by there for a look."

"Thank you, Elisa," Delilah said.

Elisa turned to look at Matt. "Matt, why don't you take her back to the Labyrinth. I'll stay here for a while in case Kate wakes up."

"Sure thing, partner," Matt said. He carefully took Delilah by the arm and escorted her out.

"I don't like this," Elisa said when they were out of earshot.

"What?" Goliath asked.

"One abduction already," Elisa said. "And apparently another one on top of it. And both involving friends of gargoyles. This stinks big time, Goliath."

"You believe there is a pattern to the abductions," Goliath said.

"You know it," she said. "But what I can't figure out is why these two? Why would someone want to target Demona and Delilah first?" Then her eyes went wide as she realized the connection. "Unless…"

"Thailog," Goliath said. "We had better warn the rest of the clan."

**The Eyrie Building**

Lexington, Broadway and Hudson landed on the parapet and were greeted by Goliath and Elisa. Hudson set Bronx down as they approached.

"Did you have any luck?" Goliath asked.

"No," Hudson said. "Whoever took the lass covered their tracks well." He caught the worried expression on Elisa's face. "Has something else happened?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "Danny's missing, too."

"The wee tyke that belongs to Delilah's friend Kate?" Hudson asked.

"What happened?" Lex asked.

"Delilah found Kate unconscious and bleeding in her apartment," Elisa said. "Kate's at Manhattan General right now, but her son has vanished. He may have been taken as well."

"But who would do such a thing?" Hudson asked.

"We are not sure," Goliath said. "But we think it may have been Thailog."

"Thailog!" Broadway roared and his eyes flashed brightly. He'd been wanting to get his hands on the sinister clone ever since he orchestrated Angela's abduction earlier that year. "When I get my claws on him…" He turned to leap off the parapet.

Goliath quickly clamped his hand on Broadway's shoulder. "Broadway, wait," he said. When he turned back to face Goliath, the lavender gargoyle continued. "You cannot face Thailog alone. Despite his injuries, he is still dangerous."

"Besides," Elisa said. "We need you for something else." She looked at Hudson and Lexington. "All of you."

"What?" Lexington asked.

"We think that Thailog may be choosing specific targets," Goliath said. "Andrea is Demona's friend and Danny is Delilah's. He may be targeting people who are very close to the clan."

"Richard and his family could be next," Elisa said. "Since Richard was very close to Angela, he is the next likely target."

"I'll head over there right now," Broadway said. He still wanted a piece of Thailog, but he didn't even want to think about what Angela would do if Richard were hurt.

"Take Bronx with you," Elisa said. "I'll call them and let them know what's going on."

"Got it," he said. He picked up the clan's watchdog and headed off into the sky.

"Lexington," Goliath said. "You had better call your friend Liz. I do not believe that she is in any danger, but…"

"I'll do it right now," Lex said. He scurried across the parapet and disappeared into the castle.

"I'll go check on Robbins," Hudson said. "Best to cover all our bases, as the humans would say."

After Hudson left, Goliath turned to face Elisa. "Elisa, I think it best if you remain here tonight," he said.

"You know I can't, Goliath," she said. "I have a job to do."

"But Thailog…"

"Thailog is not going to be able to snatch me away as easily as the others," she said. "Remember, I'm a cop." She pulled out her gun. "I can fight back. And if he comes anywhere near me, believe me, he won't live long enough to regret it." She stabbed the gun back into her shoulder holster.

"Just be careful, my love," he said. He ran his fingers through her hair. "I do not want to lose you again."

"You won't, Goliath," she said. She captured his hand as it came free from her hair and kissed the knuckles. "I'll check in before sunrise. I promise." She released his hand and left. After she was gone, he opened his wings and leapt from the parapet. _He had to find Thailog before another of the clan's friends turned up missing._

**October 27, 1999**

**Destine Manor**

Dominique sat down, got up, paced around the room and sat down again. She was growing impatient.

It had been three days since she learned Andrea had been abducted, and there was still no word. No word from Don, no word from Detective Maza and regretfully no word from Andrea's kidnappers. She was afraid that the worst had happened.

"Andrea, where are you?" she sighed.

The phone rang. It startled her and she jumped at the sound. When it rang again, she approached it hesitantly, afraid that it was bad news. As it rang a third time, she quickly picked it up. "Hello?" she said.

"Ms. Destine?" a familiar voice said. "This is Detective Maza."

"What can I do for you, detective?" she asked, even as her mind started working. _Why did she call me Ms. Destine, _she wondered. _She knows who I am._

"I've got some information about Ms. Calhoun," she said.

"Is she all right?" Dominique asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Elisa said, dashing her hopes. "I'm sending a car to pick you up. We need you to identify…"

The phone dropped out of her hand, and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing. "No," she moaned. She could still hear Elisa's voice calling out to her over to phone. Shaking, she picked it up again. "I'm here," she said.

"A unit will be by to pick you up in a few minutes," Elisa said.

"I'll be ready," she said. She hung up the phone and took a moment to compose herself._ She could be mistaken,_ she thought. _Maybe it's not Andrea. Maybe…_ Her thoughts were interrupted by the intercom. She went to the security monitor and saw a squad car sitting outside the gate.

"Yes?" she said.

"It's Officer Frewer, ma'am," the uniformed officer said. "Detective Maza sent me to pick you up."

"I'll be out in a minute," she said, opening the gate from the console. Stepping away from the security monitor, she retrieved her purse and took out the compact, trying to restore some sense of order to her face. "It'll have to do," she said. She returned the compact to her purse and went to meet the officer.

The squad car was already turned around, facing towards the gate and ready to leave as she walked out the door. The passenger side door was open, which was unusual, she thought, since they don't allow passengers to ride up front. She tossed that thought aside, thinking that it didn't matter. _What could she do to him, especially in the state she was in right now?_ She got in the squad car and closed the door.

"I hope Detective Maza is wrong about this," she said, trying to put up an air of dignity. "I would hate to think…"

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about her," the officer said, taking off his cap and turning to look at her. "After all, you should be more worried about yourself."

"Jackal!" Dominique cried out, instantly recognizing the cyborg.

"You are quick, aren't you," he said.

"Don't forget about me, baby," Hyena said, popping up out of the back seat. "We're a team act, remember?"

"I have no time for this," she snarled.

"Oh, that's right," Hyena said. "You were going somewhere." She paused and coughed for a moment. "Ahem, I'm sending a car to pick you up," she said, her voice a perfect imitation of Elisa's. "We need you to identify the body." Then she laughed. "Rich Little, eat your heart out!"

She'd been tricked!

Dominique made a lunge for the door, trying to escape. _If she can get inside and get to some weapons… _Jackal grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back, trying to restrain her. "Uh, uh," he said. "We've got someone who's just dying to see you again."

"And I know you're just dying to meet him," Hyena quipped. Laughing, she extended her index finger through the back of the seat. Dominique cried out in pain as it stabbed through her chest, killing her almost instantly.

Jackal looked at the bloody stain spreading across the CEO's blouse. "Dammit, sis," he said, turning to face Hyena. "We were supposed to bring her back alive."

"She'll be all right by the time we get there," she shot back, wiping the blood off her finger. "Besides, I owed her for interfering when we tried to grab her brat." She looked out the window. "Come on, brother dear. Let's dump her in the trunk and get out of here. We've got to get back before sunset."

Jackal got out of the squad car and opened the trunk as Hyena dragged Dominique's corpse towards the back of the car. After loading her inside, they tacked a note to the front door and left through the main gate.

Dominique awoke in a cell, her clothes a mess. _When I get my hands on those two, I'll make them pay…_

"Dominique?" she heard someone say. She turned and saw Andrea sitting on the floor behind her. There was a small child with her, sleeping with his head on her thigh.

"Andrea!" she cried out. She sprang to her feet and rushed to the artist's side, relieved that she was still alive. "Andrea, are you all right?" she asked. "I thought…"

"I'm fine," she said. "They haven't hurt me." Her eyes drifted down to the child. "Dominique, what's going on? I think I know why they grabbed me, but I don't know what they want with him."

Dominique looked at the child's face and gasped. _Danny!_ "What's he doing here?" she asked.

"Do you know him?" Andrea asked.

Dominique looked at her, wondering what she could tell her. "Yes," she said. "He's the son of one of my employees." _But if he was here,_ she wondered, _then what happened to his mother?_

Her unspoken question was interrupted by the sound of a sliding door. She turned to see Anton Sevarius enter the room.

"Ah, my dear Ms. Destine," he said. "So good to make your acquaintance again after so long."

"Sevarius," she snarled. She got up and stalked to the front of the cell. "Let me out of here, or I'll…"

"You'll what," he asked. "Fire me? Need I remind you that I am no longer under your employ."

"I'll do far worse than that," she snarled. "Now open this cell…"

"Dominique, don't!" Andrea cried out as she saw her friend reach for the bars.

Electricity arched through Dominique's body, causing her to cry out in pain. It lasted only a matter of seconds, but it seemed like an eternity before she crumpled to the floor.

"Now that was so unnecessary, my dear," he said as Dominique started to recover. "After all, you'll be experiencing enough pain as it is shortly."

"What are you…" she started, but then she caught sight of the clock on the wall. Sunset was only moments away. She charged the bars again, desperate to get out. _She couldn't let Andrea see her change!_ "Sevarius, let me out!" she cried out in a panic. She grabbed the bars again, only to jump back as the electricity jumped through her briefly. "You have to let me out!"

"My, my," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen you quite so emotional, Ms. Destine. I'll tell you what. I'll come back when you're feeling more like…yourself." Smiling, he turned and left.

"Sevarius!" she called out as she saw the door close behind him. "Sevarius! Anton!" She could practically hear him laughing at her plight from behind the steel door.

"Dominique, it's okay," Andrea said as the redhead stepped away from the bars. "We'll get out of this somehow. I'm sure…"

"It's not okay," Dominique said, turning to face her. "You don't understand. I have to get out of here! I can't…" She weighed her options. She could knock Andrea out; a well-placed strike to the back of the neck would put her out long enough to keep her from seeing the transformation, but what would happen then? Andrea would probably never forgive her for striking her, and how would she explain it if Andrea were to regain consciousness before she could escape. She looked back to the clock, watching as the second hand ticked away the time she had left before her friend learned the awful truth. That she was a gargoyle. "Andrea, there's something I have to tell you," she said quickly. "I'm…"

The pain clamped around her like a vise, making her double over. _No, _she thought. _Not now, not yet!_ But it was too late.

Andrea's eyes went wide as her friend's body turned blue and contorted before her, the feet bursting through the shoes and lengthening and a long sinuous tail snaked out from beneath the skirt. Then a pair of wings burst out through the back of the jacket. Dominique gave a cry that was somewhere between a shriek and a sob as she collapsed to the floor, panting as the transformation ended.

"I…I don't understand," Andrea said after the shock passed. "I thought…you said…"

Demona raised her head, looking at the artist through tear-filled eyes. "I'm sorry, Andrea," she sobbed. She saw the expression on her friend's face but couldn't tell if it was surprise, shock or outright fear. "I'm sorry." She retreated to a corner of the cell and curled up in a ball, crying as she felt her world shatter around her.

**The Eyrie Building**

"Angela, what is it?" Elisa asked. She had gotten a call from Angela and rushed over to the castle when she heard the urgency in the young female's voice.

"I found this note," Angela said. She handed a piece of paper to her. "It was tacked to the front door of my mother's home."

Elisa took the note and read it. "To the gargoyles. We have Ms. Destine. Wait by the phone for instructions if you wish to see her and Andrea Calhoun alive again."

"What do we do?" Angela asked.

Elisa reread the note, trying to pick up on anything that would lead her to the kidnappers. "We wait," she said finally. "There's not much else we can do besides that." She looked at Angela. "Don't worry, Angela. I'm sure that Demona's all right. And I'm almost certain that Andrea is, too. He won't…"

"He?" Angela asked. "You know who did this?"

Elisa looked at Angela, berating herself for allowing herself to slip like that. "We think it might be Thailog, but we're not sure."

Angela went cold, remembering her last encounter with her father's sinister clone. "You have to do something, Elisa," she said.

"We will," Elisa said. "But first we have to wait for the rest of the clan to get back. Broadway and Bronx are over at Richard's. Why don't you head over there and fill them in on what's going on. I'll try to track down the rest of the guys."

"Okay, Elisa," Angela said. She headed out the door and took off into the night.

Elisa quickly crossed to the phone and dialed a number. _Thailog's got Andrea, Danny and Demona, _she thought. _If he finds out about Don…_

She listened as the phone rang and then breathed a sigh of relief as she heard someone pick up.

"Hello?" she heard Don say.

"Don, thank God you're home," she said. "Listen…"

"I bet you thought this was a real person, didn't you," she heard his voice continue and then realized it was his answering machine. "Well, leave your name and message…"

She slammed the phone down as a sick feeling settled in her stomach. She turned away from it for a moment, but then turned back and picked it up again. _I'm jumping to conclusions, _she thought as she dialed the number again. _He may have just stepped out for a moment…_

She heard the machine pick up again. She fought back the urge to slam the phone down a second time and listened as the greeting continued.

"Leave your name and message at the beep and I'll get back to you as quickly as I can." She waited for the beep.

"Don, it's Elisa," she said. "Pick up if you're there." She waited a second. "Don, can you hear me?"

"'Noma, you 'kay?" she heard a young voice say. Demona turned and saw Danny standing over her. She sniffed as she turned to consider the child.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said.

Danny looked down at her chest. "Bad one hurt you?" he asked.

She looked down and saw the blood staining her blouse. "Yes," she said. "But I'm okay now"

"Are you?" she heard Andrea ask.

Demona turned and saw the young artist get up and approach her cautiously. She'd been dreading this moment for so long. _How do I explain this to her?_ "Andrea…"

"Dominique, I have to know," she said. "Is this…I mean, are you…"

"Yes, Andrea," she admitted. "This is my true form. I am a gargoyle."

"But I thought…" She paused as she looked at her friend. "What they say about the gargoyles turning to stone during the day. Is that a lie?"

"No," Demona said. "The part about the stone sleep is true. The reason I don't any more has to do with a miserable little wretch named Puck. I haven't undergone the stone sleep in almost five years."

"And before then?" Andrea said.

"You wouldn't have been able to pick me out from any of the other stone gargoyles across the city," she said. "My transformations from gargoyle to human was Puck's idea of a sick joke."

"Puck," Andrea said. "You mean like the Puck in Shakespeare's play. That Puck?"

"Yes," Demona said. "The very same. He's been a thorn in my side for…" She stopped then, not wanting to reveal any more than was necessary. "Let's just say that he and I have never gotten along."

"Wow," Andrea said, stunned. She sat down next to Demona. "Does that mean that the rest, Titania and Oberon, they're all real?"

"All too real in fact," Demona said. She looked over at her. "Andrea, you have to understand that I didn't want to deceive you. You're the first human friend I've had in a long time."

"Does Don know?" she asked.

Demona was taken aback by that. _I almost forgot about him._ "Yes, he knows," she admitted.

"You told him and not me?" Andrea asked, sounding hurt.

"He knew before we even started dating," Demona quickly said. "I'm the 'mysterious gargoyle' he rescued from the Newtech fire in August."

"Does anyone else know?" Andrea asked.

"Only a few others," Demona said. "Detective Maza, Xanatos…" She paused as she looked at the cell door. "Sevarius," she added with disdain. "No one on my board of directors knows about this."

"Do any of your exes know?" Andrea asked. "Well, I guess they would, wouldn't they?" Then she made a connection. "Wait a minute. I just realized something. Angela…"

"Is my daughter, yes," Demona said. "And Goliath, her father, was my first mate." She looked at the child sitting next to her. "I've made some mistakes in my life, Andrea. Goliath was one of them. Not telling you the truth was another. I'd like a chance to try to make up for that one at least."

"Of course, Dominique," she said. "I just hope…"

"Now isn't this a tender moment," they heard a new voice say. They looked towards the cell door and Demona gasped as she caught sight of their captor.

"Thailog!" Demona said.

"Hello, my dear," the clone said. "It's so good to see you again."

_To be continued…_


	2. Revelations and Repercussions Part Two

Revelations and Repercussions

Part Two

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

Previously… 

"You two are certainly making things easy for me," he said with a smile. "I would be foolish to pass up an opportunity like this." He turned his attention to the computer and began to set his plans into motion.

"They won't even see it coming," Thailog said, laughing.

_Just how am I going to explain this to her, _Demona wondered. _Am I going to have to fess up and tell her I'm a gargoyle? _She didn't want to. _Dragon knows I care for her, _she thought. But did she trust Andrea enough to reveal her most guarded secret to the young artist?_ I may have to eventually._

Don and Dominique stopped outside Andrea's apartment. Don could tell Dominique was worried. No one had seen the artist since she got back from Los Angeles, but that was a week ago. And he hadn't been able to turn up anything on his own. _Something was up, _he thought. He rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang it again and still there was no answer.

Dominique knocked on the door. "Andrea?" she said. "It's Dominique. Are you home?"

Don pushed the door open and went inside. When Dominique followed him in, her eyes went wide in shock when she saw the apartment.

The place was a shambles, and there were clear signs of a struggle.

Don quickly pulled out his cell phone and called the police.

"I don't like this," Elisa said when they were out of earshot.

"What?" Goliath asked.

"One abduction already," Elisa said. "And apparently another one on top of it. And both involving friends of gargoyles. This stinks big time, Goliath."

"You believe there is a pattern to the abductions," Goliath said.

"You know it," she said. "But what I can't figure out is why these two? Why would someone want to target Demona and Delilah first?" Then her eyes went wide as she realized the connection. "Unless…"

"Thailog," Goliath said. "We had better warn the rest of the clan."

Andrea's eyes went wide as her friend's body turned blue and contorted before her, the feet bursting through the shoes and lengthening and a long sinuous tail snaked out from beneath the skirt. Then a pair of wings burst out through the back of the jacket. Dominique gave a cry that was somewhere between a shriek and a sob as she collapsed to the floor, panting as the transformation ended.

"I…I don't understand," Andrea said after the shock passed. "I thought…you said…"

Demona raised her head, looking at the artist through tear-filled eyes. "I'm sorry, Andrea," she sobbed. She saw the expression on her friend's face but couldn't tell if it was surprise, shock or outright fear. "I'm sorry." She retreated to a corner of the cell and curled up in a ball, crying as she felt her world shatter around her.

"I've made some mistakes in my life, Andrea. Goliath was one of them. Not telling you the truth was another. I'd like a chance to try to make up for that one at least."

"Of course, Dominique," she said. "I just hope…"

"Now isn't this a tender moment," they heard a new voice say. They looked towards the cell door and Demona gasped as she caught sight of their captor.

"Thailog!" Demona said.

"Hello, my dear," the clone said. "It's so good to see you again."

_Revelations and Repercussions Part One_

Revelations and Repercussions Part Two

**October 27, 1999**

**Manhattan**

"Hello, my ex-love," Thailog said. "You're looking well."

Demona snarled at the charcoal-colored clone on the other side of the bars. "I should have realized that you were behind this, Thailog. When I'm through with you…"

Thailog laughed at her. "You'll do what?" he sneered. "You've grown soft, my dear. Keeping company with humans, forming attachments to them, possibly even…" He paused, letting the implication hang in the air. "Well, I must say this is so unlike you."

"Dominique, what's he talking about?" Andrea asked. "Who is he?"

"Dominique, is it?" Thailog said, amused. "I get the feeling she doesn't know who you truly are, does she, my dear?"

"Thailog…" Demona warned.

He was laughing at her. "After all this time, you have yet to tell her the truth about yourself. This is a surprise."

"I know enough," Andrea said. "I know that she's my friend and that she cares…"

"Oh, does she?" Thailog sneered. "Perhaps she hasn't told you about the lives she's destroyed, the people she's betrayed, the humans she's murdered."

Andrea looked back at her friend and saw tears running down her cheek. "Dominique?" she asked tentatively.

"I guess not," he said. "As much as I'd like to fill you in on what Demona is truly like, Ms. Calhoun, she and I have some business to discuss. Demona?"

"We have nothing to discuss," Demona snapped.

"Oh, I think we do," he said. "Otherwise…" He stepped back as the cell door opened and Jackal and Hyena entered the cell.

"Which one do you want, sis," Jackal said. "The artist or the brat?"

"I'll take the brat," Hyena said. "I've got a way with kids, remember?" She eyed Demona maniacally as she extended her fingers, exposing the razor-sharp edges.

"Leave them alone," Demona snapped, placing herself between the twins and her fellow prisoners. "I'll do what you want, Thailog. Just leave them alone."

The clone smiled at her. "I thought you'd see things my way," he said. "If you'll come with me?"

Demona took one last look at Andrea and Danny before leaving the cell. She fell in step behind Thailog and she could hear the twins follow behind her._ At least they're safe for the moment, _she thought. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"You are going to make a phone call," Thailog said.

**The Eyrie Building**

Elisa turned as she heard Goliath and the rest of the clan enter the room. As soon as she saw that all of them were present and accounted for, save for Broadway and Bronx who were still at the Harrison residence, she turned her attention back to the phone.

"They just got here, Matt," she said. "I'll let them know. Let me know if you find anything." She hung up the phone as she felt Goliath place his hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you guys are here," she said.

"Angela has told us what has happened," Goliath said. "Are you certain that Demona has been taken?"

"A unit was stolen from the 14th Precinct this morning," she said. "It was found abandoned about three miles from here." She looked at Angela. "One of Demona's neighbors said she saw the unit pull up to the Destine Manor at around four o'clock this afternoon and then leave. When the car was found, there was blood on the front passenger seat and in the trunk. We don't have a match yet, but…" She paused for a moment. "We think it may be hers."

"Have the kidnappers called yet?" Sata asked.

"I…I don't know," Elisa said. "I've been on the phone since Angela left, trying to…"

Goliath could see her shoulders start to shake. "What is it, Elisa?" he asked.

"I can't reach Don," she said. "I think…"

The phone rang.

Goliath looked at it as if it were a snake ready to strike. It rang again.

"It could be the kidnappers," Brooklyn said.

It rang again.

Elisa hesitantly reached out and picked up the receiver as it rang a fourth time. "Hello?"

"Elisa, it's Don," she heard him say.

Elisa breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Don, thank God," she said, breaking the tension in the room. "Where have you been? I thought…"

"I just got back from the Labyrinth," he said. "Didn't Goliath tell you?"

She looked at him. "No, he didn't," she said. "Did he tell you what's going on?"

"He told me that Danny's missing now," Don said. "Is that why you tried to call me?"

"No," Elisa said. "I was worried that…" She paused. "Never mind. How soon can you get here?"

"I can be there in a few minutes," he said. "Why? Has something else happened?"

"Yeah," Elisa said. "Demona's been taken."

"I'll be there as soon as possible," he said.

Elisa hung up the phone and look at Goliath. "You didn't tell me?"

"I did not get the chance to call before Angela found me," he said. "We came straight here from the Labyrinth." He turned towards Hudson. "Hudson, go and make certain no one attempts to abduct him on the way here."

"Aye," the old gargoyle said. "Enough of our friends have gone missing without having to lose another to these villains." He quickly turned and left, almost running into Owen Burnett on the way out.

"What is it, Owen?" Goliath asked as he saw the majordomo enter the room.

"There is a call waiting for you in Mr. Xanatos' office," Owen said. "I believe it may be the call you have been waiting for."

**Thailog's lair**

Demona followed Thailog down the passageway until they reached the far end. As they got there, a hidden door opened and Thailog stepped aside, motioning Demona inside. She glared at him as she entered the room.

Thailog looked different from the last time she had seen him. He was still the same evil clone, but now he was mostly encased in what appeared to be a modified version of Xanatos' own battlesuit. The only parts of him that were still visible were his head, hands and wings, which emerged through the back of the armor through two specially designed slots. The rest of his body was covered in armor that jet-black in color. She did note that he kept his wings caped around his shoulders, since they had been damaged severely by the fire.

"I assume you have already decided on your demands," she said, turning to face the clone. "What will it be this time? More money? If that's what you want, you didn't have to go to the trouble of abducting me. I would have gladly paid whatever was necessary for Andrea's release."

"I'm not interested in money just now," he said. "Although I will be asking for a tidy sum to cover their expenses." He gestured to the two cyborgs.

"Yeah, we don't work for free, you know," Hyena said.

"Then what?" Demona asked.

"I take it you have noticed the recent improvements," Thailog said.

"I have," she said. "I take it you stole the plans from Xanatos while you were still working for him."

"Of course," he said. "I knew eventually that the design schematics would come in handy someday. Although I hadn't counted on having to use it as a external support system."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, boss-man," Hyena said. "I think you look fabulous in titanium armor plate."

"Oh, now that is sick," Jackal said, rolling his remaining eye. "First robots, then halflings and now armor plated cloned gargoyles. I can't wait to see what's next."

Thailog ignored Jackal's comments and turned his attention back to Demona. "At any rate, as much as I enjoy the power this suit gives me, it does have certain drawbacks. The least of which is the constant pain I am in while wearing it. There is the problem of my scarring rubbing against the interior of the armor. I would gladly discard this suit for a chance to be whole once more."

"So why do you need me?" Demona asked, crossing her arms across her chest. She looked over at Sevarius as he entered the room. "Why don't you have Sevarius clone you a new body?"

"I had thought about that," Thailog said. "But the procedure would take too long and would leave me at the mercy of the good doctor's, shall we say, less than tender graces. I have a better solution. You have I take it an object known as the Bloodstone?"

Demona's arms fell to her sides. "How did you find out about that?"

"You'd be amazed at the information that can be had for the right price," Thailog said. "A nurse at Manhattan General was most willing to surrender a file on a certain human patient recently in exchange for her own life. The victim of a catastrophic fire, I believe."

Demona felt herself go cold when she realized he was talking about Don. She had saved his life using the Bloodstone, but she'd been forced to leave it around his neck when Dr. Sato discovered her. She recovered it later, but it was out of her possession long enough that quite possibly several of the staff had seen it. _So that's what he wants, _she thought. "It won't do you any good, Thailog. Even if I were to give it to you, I'd never show you how to use it."

"I think we can work something out," he said, causing her to wonder what he was up to. "In the meantime, you have a call to make." He moved over to a video conference system and dialed a number. Within moments, Xanatos appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Thailog," he said. "I was wondering when you'd call." He paused as he took in the clone's appearance. "I must say I don't approve of the new look. You'll be hearing from my lawyers about patent infringements."

"Ah, Xanatos," Thailog said. "You haven't lost your edge. But I did not call to discuss legal affairs with you. I called to talk with Goliath. Some friends of his are 'enjoying' my company at the moment. I just thought he'd like to know."

Xanatos didn't even bat an eye. "I'll let him know," he said.

"See that you do," Thailog said.

**The Eyrie Building**

**Xanatos' office**

Goliath and the others gathered into the office. As soon as he saw the image of Thailog on the video screen, his eyes blazed with fury.

"Thailog!" he roared.

"Hello, Goliath," Thailog said. "I'm pleased you remember me." His eyes shifted for a moment. "Hello, Angela."

Goliath quickly stepped in front of his daughter as she paled noticeably. "What do you want, Thailog?" he said.

"I believe I have someone here you've been looking for," he said, stepping aside.

"Mother!" Angela cried out, seeing the condition Demona's clothes were in.

"I am fine, Angela," she said quickly. "So are Andrea and Danny." She looked at Thailog. "At least for the moment."

"Where are you?" Goliath asked.

"Now now, Goliath," Thailog said. "You know the rules of hostage negotiations. Ransom first, then we discuss location."

Goliath looked to Elisa. She quickly placed a call to try to get a trace placed on Thailog. "Very well, Thailog," he said. "Make your demands."

"Succinct and to the point," Thailog said. "First off, I want fifty million dollars in cash. I know that you don't have that kind of capital on hand, Goliath, but I'm certain Xanatos does."

"Done," Xanatos said without even waiting for Goliath to ask. "I'll have the money here within the hour."

"Very good," Thailog said. "Second, my 'disagreement' with Demona three years ago left me somewhat less than whole. She has a certain bauble in her possession that has, shall we say, 'restorative' properties."

"The Bloodstone," Goliath said.

"Precisely," Thailog said. "And finally, I want what is rightfully mine. I want Delilah."

"Delilah?" they all gasped.

"Yes," he said. "My mate. I want her returned to me. She is mine and mine alone." He paused as he let his words sink in. "I shall call back in two hours with further instructions." The screen went dark as Thailog severed the connection.

Goliath looked over at Elisa as she pocketed her cell phone. "Were you able to trace the call?" he asked.

"No," she said. "There wasn't enough time to get a fix." She looked up at him. "What are we going to do, Goliath? We can't give in to his demands."

"I agree," Brooklyn said. "We can't let him get his hands on the Bloodstone, and we sure as hell can't give him Delilah. There's no telling what he'd do to her."

"Unfortunately, we may not have a choice," Goliath said. "Thailog knows that Demona is of no use to him as a hostage, but Andrea and Danny…" He hesitated. "We can not allow them to come to harm. Angela," he said, turning to face his daughter. "Go to Demona's home. Fetch the Bloodstone and return immediately. Brooklyn and Sata, go with her. Make certain she returns safely."

"Got it," Brooklyn said. "Let's go." Turning, he preceded the two females out of the office.

"I wish we'd had time to record the conversation," Lexington said. "I could have checked to see if there were any clues as to where they were transmitting from."

"What makes you think I didn't record Thailog's call, Lex," Xanatos said. He stepped over to the video monitor and took a DVD disk out of the nearby video recorder. "I took a hint from a character on 'Babylon 5'. Always record important conversations." He handed the disk to Lex.

"I'll let you know if I find anything," Lex said, smiling. He quickly left the office.

"Elisa, we should go to the Labyrinth and inform Delilah what has happened," Goliath said. "She needs to be told."

"We can't let Thailog get his hooks into her again, Goliath," Elisa protested. "She's finally starting to become more self-sufficient, more sure of herself. If we give her to Thailog, he'll take all that away from her."

"I know, Elisa," Goliath said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "And I know how much you care for her, but as I said, we may not have a choice." When she looked up at him, he continued. "Do not fear, my Elisa. We will do all we can to prevent Thailog from succeeding." He turned his attention to Xanatos. "You had better come up with a plan, Xanatos. From past experience, we both know what Thailog is capable of."

"I'll have a plan ready by the time you get back," Xanatos said.

As Goliath turned and left with Elisa, he turned his attention to Owen. "Get in touch with the Microbotics division, Owen," he said. "You know what we need."

"Of course, sir," Owen said as Xanatos picked up the phone, placing an emergency call to his bankers.

**The Labyrinth**

Delilah put her arms around herself as she turned away from Goliath and Elisa, shivering uncontrollably.

"I…I can't," she said. "Elisa, please…"

"I know how you feel, Delilah," Elisa said. "I know what Thailog's like…"

"You can't," Delilah said. "Thailog…when I was with him, he…did things…"

Elisa looked up at Goliath, realizing what Delilah was going through. _He was abusive, _she realized. She looked over at Sharon. The female Mutate who was Delilah's closest friend took the unsaid hint and stepped up to the clone.

"Delilah," Sharon said. "Elisa may not know, but I do. You cannot allow your fear of Thailog rule your life. You must be strong. Danny is depending on you."

"I know," Delilah said. "But Thailog…"

"Thailog will most surely harm Danny if you do not do this, Delilah," Goliath said. "Do not fear. We will not allow him to hold you longer than is absolutely necessary."

Delilah looked at Elisa. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart," Elisa said. "We'd better get back to the castle before Thailog calls back. I just hope Xanatos has come up with some sort of plan."

**The Eyrie Building**

Don turned as he saw Goliath and Elisa enter Xanatos' office, followed by Delilah. Elisa caught sight of him and quickly rushed to his side. Goliath rumbled low in his throat as she did.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I was worried…"

"Lex told me what's been going on," Don said. "But not why." He looked over at Goliath. "You want to fill me in on who this Thailog is? I know he was Demona's old business partner, but she never wanted to talk much about him."

"He is a clone," Goliath said. "Xanatos had him created four years ago using samples of my own blood, and programmed him with Xanatos' own particular slant on life."

Don looked at the billionaire, giving him a hard look.

"It was during my 'cliché villainy' phase," Xanatos said. "And believe me, the 'experiment' didn't turn out quite as expected."

This drew another rumble from an already irritated Goliath, and Xanatos quickly changed the subject. "Let's just say that Thailog didn't inherit any of his father's better qualities."

"Thailog mentioned a disagreement with Demona on the recording you gave Lex," Don said, having viewed the clone's demands after he arrived at the castle. "What's that all about?"

"Thailog and Demona conspired to destroy the clan three years ago," Goliath said. "We had captured Demona and imprisoned her in the Labyrinth, but we did not realize until later that she had allowed herself to be taken in order to draw us into a trap. It was during this time that the clones were created, including Delilah." He looked at the hybrid clone. "When Demona escaped from the Labyrinth, we followed her and Thailog to Coney Island, where they were waiting for us, along with the clones Brentwood, Hollywood, Malibu and Burbank. It wasn't until later that we found out about Delilah, after Thailog tried to kill Angela and Demona objected. He tossed her aside and revealed Delilah, calling her the 'perfect programmed companion', and ordered her to kill us."

Delilah hung her head, grimacing at the bad memories.

"Surprisingly, Demona helped us to escape," Goliath continued. "And she and Thailog disappeared in the resulting fire. We thought Thailog perished in the blaze. That was not the case however."

"He resurfaced not too long ago," Xanatos said. "He's been causing trouble from behind the scenes for over two years, embezzling money from Nightstone, trying to have Alex kidnapped, but it wasn't until a few months ago that we found out he was still alive. Demona obviously wasn't too happy when she found out."

"And it didn't help matters that he kidnapped Angela either," Lex said.

"Were the clones involved?" Don asked, eyeing Delilah.

"Delilah and the other clones don't want to have anything to do with Thailog," Elisa said. "They like their freedom. If Thailog gets his hands on them though, he'll take all that away from them." She looked at Delilah. "Even hers."

Don stepped over to Delilah and placed his hands on her arms. "Is that true?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, looking down. "Thailog is…I…"

Don placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up. "I understand," he said. "You're afraid of him. Of what he'll do when he gets his hands on you."

"Yes," Delilah said, looking into his eyes. "Don, I don't want to go back to him. I…" She hesitated, wanting to tell him how she felt, even though she knew he was involved with Demona and that he thought of her as just a friend, but she needed to say it. "I…"

The phone rang, breaking the moment, and Delilah stepped away from him as Xanatos answered the phone.

"Xanatos," he said. He paused as he listened to the voice on the other end and then looked at his watch. "You certainly are prompt, Thailog. Yes, she's here. Just a moment." He transferred the call to the video conference monitor. Delilah paled as she saw Thailog's image appear on the screen.

"Hello, my dear," Thailog said over the video link. He eyed her possessively, causing Delilah to shiver uncontrollably.

"Hello, Thailog," she finally managed to say, trying to sound defiant.

Thailog raised his eyebrow at that. "Excuse me?" he said.

"I'm sorry," Delilah said, casting her eyes down. "Master."

"Much better," he said before turning his attention to the others. "I hope you're taking notes, Goliath," he said, eyeing Elisa lasciviously.

"I do not need advice from you, Thailog," he said, draping his wing protectively around Elisa. "We have done as you asked. Tell us where you are holding the others."

"All in good time, Goliath," Thailog said. "I trust you have the other items."

"Fifty mil in cash, Thailog," Xanatos said. "I had to do some fast talking to get it though. I hope you appreciate the trouble I went through to get it."

"I am not interested in your trivial matters, Xanatos," Thailog said. "Just the money. The Bloodstone?"

Angela stepped forward and pulled the Bloodstone pendant out of the pouch. She held it up before her so that Thailog could see it over the video link. The clone eyed it suspiciously, then turned to Demona. "Is that it?" he asked.

Demona stepped into view. "Yes," she said, sounding defeated.

"Good," Thailog said. "Delilah, you will bring the items to me yourself. Bring them to the spot where you were taken from me. I believe you know where that is."

"Yes…master," Delilah choked.

"And no tricks," Thailog said. "No one is to follow her, Goliath. And no tracking devices, Xanatos. Any attempts to trick me and you'll never see the hostages again. At least not in one piece." He let the words sink in before severing the link.

"Where she was taken?" Don asked. "Where's that?"

"Where we last encountered Thailog," Goliath said. "Coney Island."

"So we go there and lay a trap for him," Lex said. "Just like he did with us."

"No," Goliath said.

"No?" came the response. "Why not?" Lex asked.

"Thailog will not be foolish enough to wait for Delilah himself," the lavender male said. "He will no doubt send someone else to meet her. Possibly a member of the Pack."

"I agree," Xanatos said. "But we can't allow Delilah to walk into the lion's den alone."

"You have a plan then," Goliath said.

"As I told you a few years ago, Goliath," he said, reaching into his drawer and pulling out a tracking device. "Old habits die hard." He walked over to Delilah and started to reach for her collar. She pulled back as he did.

"He said no tracers, Xanatos," Elisa said.

"If I know Thailog," he said. "He'll expect me to plant one on her anyway. This way, he won't be looking for a second one after he finds the first." He looked at Delilah, who held still as he placed the tracking device under her collar, doing his best not to make it too hard to locate.

"Second one?" Goliath asked.

"That's where this comes in," he said as he held up a pneumatic hypodermic gun and handed it to Owen. The blonde assistant took the device and approached the hybrid clone as Xanatos handed an alcohol wipe to Fox.

"This is how they tracked me when I was affected by the Eye of Odin," she told Elisa as she rolled up Delilah's sleeve. She rubbed the flesh with the wipe and took the gun from Owen, then pressed it to the spot. "This is going to sting a little," she said as she squeezed the trigger.

Delilah flinched as she felt the needle penetrate the skin, injecting her with something and then withdrawing just as quickly. Fox stepped back as Delilah rubbed the sore spot.

"What was that?" Don asked.

"A sub-dermal transmitter," Xanatos said. "Completely invisible and virtually undetectable and untraceable unless you know what to look for and just happen to have one of these." He picked up a small receiver and pointed it towards Delilah. It emitted a series of beeps as he waved it back and forth and then emitted a long tone as he stopped it so that it was pointed directly at her. "As long as Thailog is within a twenty mile radius, we won't have any problem finding him."

"Just be certain to stay away from unshielded power sources," Owen said. "This particular model is very sensitive to electrical discharges."

"One good jolt is all it'll take," Xanatos said. He picked up the briefcase and handed it to Delilah. "Try not to lose this," he added. "Even if you went back to dancing at the 'Saturn's Rings', I doubt very much if you'd ever make enough to pay me back."

"I'll try and remember that," Delilah said. She turned and headed for the door, pausing for a moment to look at Don. Before she could change her mind, she grabbed him by the collar and jerked him forward, planting her lips against his. Then, before he could do anything other than look at her in stunned surprise, she raced out of the office.

"What was _that _all about?" Elisa asked.

"I have no idea," Don said.

**Coney Island**

Delilah reached the amusement park and landed on top of the Ferris Wheel. She sighed as she looked around.

She'd hoped she would never have to come back to this place. _Too many bad memories, _she thought. Ever since she was taken into Talon's clan, she'd realized just how bad Thailog was. He was mean, abusive, _evil._ She didn't want to go back to him, but she really didn't have a choice. _He has Danny, _she reminded herself. She couldn't let Thailog hurt him.

She was aware of an odd sound above her. She turned as she heard a voice call out to her.

"Hey, sweetheart," Jackal said. "How about an autograph?"

"Jackal and Hyena!" she said in surprise.

"Well, there goes my dumb blonde jokes," Hyena quipped as she descended on the clone. Delilah dived out of the way and unfurled her wings as Hyena gave pursuit.

"Careful, sis," Jackal called out. "Remember, Thailog wants her undamaged."

"I won't bruise her too much," Hyena called back.

"How...reassuring," Delilah shot back at her.

"Ooh, she's got a mouth on her," Hyena said. "I wonder what else she can do with it."

"You two will never find out," Delilah snarled as she headed for the boardwalk. _If she could just put some distance between herself and the twins…_

"I think you're forgetting something," she heard Jackal call out. She turned her head and saw the cyborg hold up a stuffed toy gargoyle, similar to the one Alex owned. She blanched as she realized where Jackal must have gotten it. _I gave that to Danny for his birthday._ She watched as Jackal put the toy into the crook of his arm, then popped his wrist blaster and pointed the weapon at the toy's head. "Surrender, or the fuzzy gets wasted!"

"Oh, real convincing, brother dear," Hyena said. "You think she's going to give up because you're threatening some stuffed toy…"

"Wait!" Delilah called out as she turned around, heading back towards them.

"Then again, I could be wrong," Hyena said.

Delilah landed back on top of the Ferris Wheel and looked at the two cyborgs hovering around her. "Where are they?" she snarled.

"Patience, my dear," Jackal said as he moved in front of her. "First, we have to make sure everything's been taken care of." He held out his hand and Delilah handed him the briefcase as she took the stuffed toy from him. He opened it and smiled. "Look at all that money," he said. He pulled out a stack of bills and tossed it to his sister.

"I just love the smell of newly minted greenbacks," she said, waving the bills under her nose. "It smells like…well, you know." She tossed the stack back to Jackal, who put it back in the briefcase and closed it. Then Jackal held out his hand. "The bauble?" he asked.

Delilah reached into her pocket and pulled out the pouch containing the Bloodstone. Hyena took it and removed the contents.

"Doesn't look like much, does it," she said. "Oh well, as long as it works." She put the Bloodstone back into the pouch and tossed it to her brother. Jackal put the pouch into the briefcase.

"Now, where are they?" Delilah demanded.

"Feisty, isn't she?" Jackal said. "You forgot to say the magic word."

Delilah sighed as she realized what Jackal wanted to hear. "Please," she said.

"That's better," he said. "You know, it's too bad Thailog didn't have you bring that costume you wore for your poster. I bet he would have gotten a kick out of seeing you dance in it. I know I would have."

"Humph," Hyena said. "And you say I'm sick."

"You'll have to excuse my sister," Jackal said. "She's been moping ever since Coyote dumped her for a Eureka Upright."

"Watch it, bro," she warned.

"All kidding aside," he quickly added. "It's time we were leaving. We don't want to keep Thailog waiting, now do we?"

"No," Delilah said. "You lead. I'll follow."

"I have a better idea," Hyena said. She quickly came up behind Delilah and clamped her hand down on the clone's shoulder, sending a charge of electricity through her. Delilah cried out as the energy coursed through her body before she collapsed limply into Jackal's arms. The stuffed toy fell from her grasp and tumbled to the ground.

"What did you do that for?" Jackal snapped, already burdened with the briefcase. He quickly passed it to his sister as he adjusted his hold on the unconscious clone.

"Just making sure she doesn't try to skip out on us," Hyena said. "Besides, we both know what Xanatos would do in a situation like this." She reached under the collar and found the tracer Xanatos planted there. "He is _so_ predictable," she said, using her thumb and forefinger to crush the device. "Makes me wonder what Fox really sees in him."

"If you're done patting yourself on the back," Jackal said. "We'd better get going. I want to be there when Thailog talks Demona into showing him how that little trinket of hers works."

**Eyrie Building**

"Blast!" Xanatos cursed as the signal from the sub-dermal transmitter went dead.

"What happened?" Goliath asked.

"I lost the signal," Xanatos said.

"What do you mean 'you lost the signal'?" Elisa snapped.

"That's what I mean, detective," he said. "I've lost the signal." He made an adjustment to the tracking receiver. "Both of them. I'm not getting anything from the sub-dermal or the one I placed under her collar." He tried another adjustment and frowned as the scanner still read nothing. "Whoever met Delilah must have found the tracers."

"I thought you said…" Don started.

"I did," he said. "But I may not have given Thailog enough credit." He pocketed the scanner before going to the parapet and leaning on the stone wall. "I'm sorry, Goliath."

"You did what you could, Xanatos," Goliath said. "I just hope…"

"I think you're overlooking one option," Don said as he remembered one of the secrets Demona had shared with him. "A way to find them without resorting to _electronic_ means."

"I don't…" Elisa started, but then Goliath's eyes went wide in realization.

"Of course," he said. "Macbeth!"

**Thailog's lair**

Thailog smiled as he removed the Bloodstone from the pouch and held it up, looking at the white jewel dangling from the thin chain. "I still don't know why you kept this thing all these years, my dear," he said to Demona. "With your immortality, I'm certain it would have been of little use to you."

"It has come in handy from time to time," Demona said, casting a piercing glare at Hyena before returning her attention back to Thailog. "And I still refuse to show you how to use it."

"Oh, I think you will," he said, dropping the Bloodstone back into the pouch. He turned and crossed the cell, approaching Andrea, who was sitting on the floor with Danny. The young artist started to back away from him, but he caught her by the arm and lifted her to her feet. "You have such a rare gift, my dear," he said. "It would be a shame if you were to lose it." He smiled as he looked back at Demona.

"What…" Andrea started as she looked at Demona and saw the fear in the azure gargoyle's eyes as she realized what Thailog was about to do.

"No!" Demona cried out as she stepped forward to stop him, but Jackal and Hyena tackled her, holding her down as Thailog brought Andrea's left arm down across his knee, breaking the limb.

Andrea screamed in pain as the bones in her arm broke neatly in half, then collapsed as Thailog shoved her away roughly. Sobbing, she cradled her shattered arm as Demona looked on in anguish.

"I assume you will be more amenable now," he said, tossing the pouch onto the floor in front of her. Demona looked up into his cruel face as she felt Jackal and Hyena release her. "Or do I need to demonstrate further?" He looked over at Danny, who had moved to Andrea's side and was trying to help her.

"I…I'll do it," Demona said as she scooped up the pouch and rushed to Andrea's side, desperate to help her friend. "But you have to let me use it to heal her first. After that, you can do whatever you want with it."

"I thought that might be your answer," he said cruelly. He turned to the twins. "Have Sevarius bring my mate here to me. I'm certain she will find this most enlightening."

**Macbeth's manor**

Lennox Macbeth swirled the brandy in the snifter as he looked across to his guest, Joanna Walker. She smiled at him as she took a sip from her own glass, then crossed over to sit next to him.

"So," she said sultrily as she swirled the contents of her glass. "Any plans for tonight?"

"I honestly can't think of anything," he said, then winked at her when he saw her face draw up in a frown. "Except perhaps enjoy the company of a beautiful woman."

"And her name is…" she teased.

"Ye know perfectly well who I mean," he said, wrapping his broad arms around her and pulling her close. "Ah, my dear. It has been too long since…"

A wave of anguish hit him like a fist, and he jumped away from Joanna as he tried to block it out. _No,_ he thought angrily as the brandy snifter hit the floor. _Not again!_

"Len, what is it?" Joanna asked as she set her drink on the table and rushed to his side. "What's wrong?"

The wave held him for several seconds before it released him, and he sagged in her arms. Fortunately, he managed to stay on his feet and he let Joanna lead him back to the couch.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I dinna know," he said. "I felt…"

"Was it Demona?" Joanna asked.

"Aye," he said. Joanna had learned about the mystical connection between Macbeth and Demona when she and Macbeth encountered the gargoyle and her daughter Angela in Scotland last October. She still didn't fully understand the bond between the two, but she accepted it nonetheless, although it did tend to interfere in their lives from time to time. _Had something happened to Demona?_ she wondered.

"What was it?" she asked.

"I do not rightly know," he said. "I felt…anguish, as if…"

There was a knock at the door, and Joanna helped Macbeth sit down on the couch before going to answer it. _If it's not one thing, it's another, _she thought. She opened the door. "Whoever you are, this really isn't a good time…"

"Professor Walker!" Angela said in surprise. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here."

Her eyes went wide in recognition. "Angela! What are you doing here?" Then she noticed the individuals behind the lavender female. "And who are your friends?"

"I am Goliath," Goliath said. "Angela is my daughter." He looked at her. "I take it you are familiar with her."

"We met when Mother took me to Scotland last year," Angela said. "She was with Macbeth…I mean Professor Macduff…"

"It's okay, Angela," Joanna said. "Len finally told me what was going on between him and Demona."

"Len?" Elisa asked.

"Oh, this is Elisa Maza," Angela continued. "And Don Taylor. We need to talk to Macbeth."

"Now isn't a good time," Joanna said. "He's not feeling well…" Then she paused. "Maybe you can help," she quickly said. "Len almost collapsed a minute ago…"

"What are ye doing here, Goliath?" Macbeth asked, coming up from behind Joanna.

"We need your help, Macbeth," Goliath said. "Thailog has abducted Demona."

"And this concerns me how?" he asked. "I'm fairly certain that Demona is quite capable…"

"He's also kidnapped a young boy named Danny Roswell and a woman named Andrea Calhoun," Elisa said, then looked at Joanna as she gasped sharply. "Do you know either of them?" she asked.

"I know Andrea," Joanna said. "I bought one of her pieces a few months ago." She looked at Macbeth. "Len, whoever this Thailog is, you can't let him hurt her. It would be a tragedy if something terrible were to happen…"

"Come inside," Macbeth said, then looked at Joanna briefly before returning his attention to Goliath. "Tell me from the beginning what has happened."

**Thailog's lair**

"Hello, my dear," Anton Sevarius said as Delilah finally regained consciousness. "I must say I've been looking forward to seeing you again for quite some time."

Delilah snarled at him, then tried to get up off the floor. When she heard the sound of dragging chains, she realized she'd been restrained.

"What are you up to, butcher?" she said venomously.

"Butcher?" he replied, then swooned dramatically. "Oh, my dear. It pains me so to think that you still hate me after all this time, after all that I've done for you. I gave you life. I gave you form. I gave you…"

"A headache," she spat out. "Shut up, Sevarius. I'm not interested."

Sevarius coughed, then looked over at the door as Jackal and Hyena came in, Jackal carrying what appeared to be a rolled up poster.

"Thailog wants to see her," Hyena said, then turned her attention to the hybrid clone. "He's got something for her to see."

"Of course," Sevarius said. He picked up a set of keys and moved towards the clone. Delilah snarled at him as he approached. "Now, now, my dear," he said. "Let's have none of that. Need I remind you of whom Thailog has in his 'tender, loving care'?"

Delilah shivered at the thought of what Thailog would do to Danny if she resisted, then settled down as Sevarius unlocked her restraints. When she was free, she rubbed her wrists as Jackal approached her.

"There is one little addition to what Thailog wanted," Jackal said. "A personal request, actually." He produced a pen and unrolled the poster. "Could you autograph this for me?"

Delilah's eyes narrowed as she recognized the poster. It was a full-color poster of her in her belly-dancing costume. She remembered the day she posed for it, wanting to give Jack and her friends at the 'Saturn's Rings' something to remember her by. Don had taken the initial shots of her, then superimposed one of her images onto an Arabian palace background. The poster attracted a lot of attention, became known as the 'Delilah Poster', and soon everyone wanted a copy. At first she thought it was amusing, then began to take it seriously when Demona secured exclusive rights to produce the poster in mass quantities, but now…

She stepped up to Jackal and, in one deft move, slashed the image with her talons, and then shoved the cyborg into the wall. Holding him by the throat, she drew back her arm, preparing to repeat the process to his face, but then she felt herself being pulled away. A meaty hand slapped her across the face as she was turned around and she looked up, finding herself face to face with Thailog.

"That, my dear, was uncalled for," he said low, berating her.

She went limp in his grip, suddenly afraid of what he was going to do in way of punishment, but then he released her and bent down to pick up the shredded poster. There was enough of the picture left for him to see and he eyed it lasciviously. "Well, well," he said. "This is a side of you I hadn't seen before." He turned his attention back to her. "I may have you dress up like this permanently." He tossed the poster onto the floor, then grabbed her by the arm. "You will come with me, my dear Delilah. I have something to show you." Pulling her after him, Thailog dragged Delilah out of the room and headed for the cell.

**Macbeth's manor**

Macbeth paced back and forth and listened as Goliath laid out what Thailog had been up to over the past few months. Joanna sat on the edge of her chair, amazed by the story. _How can anyone be that evil?_ she thought. _I thought gargoyles were the good guys..._

"I still don't understand why Thailog picked these particular people," Macbeth said. "Demona I can understand, but why Miss Calhoun and this Roswell lad?"

"My mother and Andrea have become close friends," Angela said. "Andrea even painted the portrait for my mating ceremony. But she doesn't know that my mother and Dominique Destine are the same person."

"Andrea Calhoun is a close friend of the clan, Macbeth," Goliath said. "We value her friendship, and it has been through her that Demona has shown recent progress in reforming her ways, even though it is her human form of Dominique Destine that Andrea knows her."

"What about this Danny Roswell?" Macbeth asked.

"That's another long story," Elisa said. "I guess you heard about Delilah performing at the 'Saturn's Rings' a few months ago."

"Aye," Macbeth said. "But I merely thought it was another of those tabloid stories that I wouldn't wrap dead fish in." He paused as he looked at Don, recognizing him from the _Tattler _story about Dominique Destine's latest romantic interest.

"It's true," Elisa said. "Delilah was working there as a…dancer in order to help out a friend. Danny has a rare disorder that requires expensive medication. Thailog kidnapped him because he wanted Delilah back." She looked at Goliath. "He'll probably hold on to Danny just to insure her cooperation. We know he grabbed Andrea to ensure Demona's." Then she looked at Don. _At least, he didn't get you,_ she thought.

"So why do you need Len's help?" Joanna asked.

"My mystical link to Demona enables me to sense her presence when she's near," Macbeth said. "And to track her no matter where she may be on the planet. That's how I was able to locate her five years ago after Goliath's clan awakened. I also helped them to find her when Demona rescued Angela from the Pack a few years later."

"That's what we need you to do," Elisa said. "We need you to track them down…"

"With all due respect, detective," Macbeth said. "I am not some blasted bloodhound that you can call on every time Demona gets herself into trouble."

"Len…" Joanna started, but she was interrupted by Goliath's voice.

"Macbeth, you are a man of honor," he said. "Does your honor allow you to stand by while innocents are brought to harm by a madman such as Thailog?"

Macbeth sighed heavily. "You are correct, Goliath," he said, and his voice caused a swelling in Joanna's heart. _This is why I love you, _she thought. "I will do what you ask." Then he looked up at the clan leader. "But let this be the last time, Goliath. I'll not have my life continually interrupted in this manner."

"Understood," Goliath said. He turned to Elisa and Angela. "The two of you should return to the castle and inform Xanatos and the rest of the clan. We may need their assistance and that of his robots."

"You're not cutting me out of this, Goliath," Elisa protested.

"Elisa…" he started, but then Don cut in.

"Elisa, you can't get involved in this," he said. "This isn't a matter for the cops. This is probably going to be a full-blown assault on wherever Thailog's holed up. And how effective do you think Goliath's going to be if he's worrying about you. Not to mention me."

"You're not going," she said flatly.

"I have to, and you know it," he said. He looked at Goliath. "I have a stake in this," he added. "I have to do whatever I can to get her out of there."

"Just be careful," Elisa said, then looked at Goliath. "Both of you."

"We shall, Elisa," Goliath said. He shared a concerned look with Don as she left.

**Thailog's lair**

Demona was cradling Andrea's whimpering form in her arms when Thailog and the others returned. As soon as she saw Danny, Delilah pulled away from the clone and scooped the child up into her arms.

"D'ilah," he squealed as she hugged him tightly. "We go home now?"

"In a little bit, sweetie," she said, trying hard to hold back the tears.

"This is definitely a Kodak moment," Sevarius said. "Makes me wish I had a camera right about now."

"I can download an image for you if you like, doc," Jackal said as he acted as if he were brushing away a tear.

"Enough of the touchy, feely already," Hyena said. She looked at Thailog. "When do we find out if that thing really works?"

"Now," Thailog said, turning to Demona. "You will now demonstrate, Demona," he said. "I do not have to tell you what will happen if you refuse."

"No, you don't," she said icily. She turned her attention to Delilah. "I'm going to need her help setting the break," she said.

"Very well," Thailog said.

Without waiting for Thailog to give her permission, Delilah hesitantly walked over to Demona and knelt by Andrea's side. She hissed as she saw the broken arm. "What happened?" she asked.

Demona glared at Thailog. "He did this," she said.

Delilah started to turn on him, but Demona quickly reached up and grabbed her arm. "Now is not the time," she said. "We will deal with him later. Right now, I need your help."

Delilah looked at Demona, then at the human in her arms. Andrea was in pain, both physically and mentally. She had to help. "Okay," she said.

"I'm going to need a bowl," Demona said. "And a knife."

"Do you really believe I would trust you with a knife, Demona?" Thailog laughed.

"The Bloodstone needs an infusion of blood to activate it," she said. "That's why it's called a Bloodstone."

Thailog thought about that for a moment, then turned to Sevarius. "If you would, doctor?"

"Of course," he said. He turned to leave.

"And a splint," Demona called out. "I need something to keep her arm straight after we set it."

"You are becoming annoying, my dear," Thailog warned, but he let the request pass. _Just as long as he got what he wanted._

While Sevarius was retrieving the necessary items, Demona turned her attention to Andrea. "Andrea, we're going to help you, but you need to hold still."

"O…okay," she said painfully.

Demona shifted Andrea into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her, holding onto her as Delilah took the broken limb carefully in her hands. Andrea closed her eyes tightly as she felt Delilah pull gently on the arm and tensed as the clone began setting the break.

"This is going to hurt," Delilah said, trying to comfort her.

Andrea gritted her teeth, trying to suppress a scream as she felt the bones in her arm move under the clone's fingers, but it was too much for her senses to handle. When she felt the edges of the break begin to shift against each other, she let out a cry that pierced Demona's heart before she mercifully lapsed into unconsciousness. After several tense minutes, during which time Sevarius returned and placed the requested articles beside them, they finished their painful work and Delilah quickly splinted Andrea's arm as best she could while Demona made preparations for the Bloodstone ceremony.

"This ought to be interesting," Jackal said.

Demona ignored the comment and set the Bloodstone in the dish Sevarius had provided. Then, picking up the scalpel, she made a long cut along her arm and allowed the blood to flow into the receptacle and onto the crystal. The Bloodstone changed color from white to red as it absorbed the blood and Demona lifted it by the chain, then set it around Andrea's neck. It began to glow as it began healing the injury.

"She gonna be 'kay?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Demona said. She could already see the bruising around the break begin to fade.

"I think we've seen enough to know it works," Thailog said. He stepped forward and began to reach down for the pendant.

"No!" Demona cried out, reaching up and grabbing his wrist. "You have to let it finish or you'll ruin it!"

"Somehow, I doubt your sincerity," Thailog said.

"Thailog," Sevarius said. "I spent enough time working for Madoc and Maeve to get an idea of how certain mystical items work. She may be telling the truth."

"Or she may be lying," he countered. "She may want to buy time for her friend to be healed."

"Be that as it may," Sevarius said. "But are you really willing to take that chance? What good is the Bloodstone to you if you disrupt its properties?"

Thailog mulled that over in his mind. "Very well," he said. "You may allow the Bloodstone to complete its work. After that, it belongs to me. But I will take the rest of the items if you please."

Delilah quietly picked up the bowl and the scalpel. She set the bowl in his hand, but then brought the scalpel down through his palm viciously. Thailog roared in anger and pain and slapped her away from him. Delilah hit the wall and slid down senselessly.

"You little…" he said angrily as he pulled the blade out of his hand. He extended the battlesuit's wrist blaster and aimed it at the fallen female.

"Leave her 'lone!" Danny cried out, racing in front of her. The wrist blaster fired.

Delilah recovered enough to pull Danny out of the line of fire and tumble to the side. The laser blast scorched the wall behind her.

"You have ceased to be of use, human!" Thailog snarled at Danny. He took a step towards Danny and Delilah, intending to end the child's life.

_To be concluded…_


	3. Revelations and Repercussions Part Three

Revelations and Repercussions

Part Three

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. The character of Don Michael Taylor is my creation. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

_Previously…_

"Hello, my ex-love," Thailog said. "You're looking well."

Demona snarled at the charcoal-colored clone on the other side of the bars. "I should have realized that you were behind this, Thailog. When I'm through with you…"

Thailog laughed at her. "You'll do what?" he sneered. "You've grown soft, my dear. Keeping company with humans, forming attachments to them, possibly even…" He paused, letting the implication hang in the air. "Well, I must say this is so unlike you."

"Dominique, what's he talking about?" Andrea asked. "Who is he?"

"Very well, Thailog," he said. "Make your demands."

"Succinct and to the point," Thailog said. "First off, I want fifty million dollars in cash. I know that you don't have that kind of capital on hand, Goliath, but I'm certain Xanatos does."

"Done," Xanatos said without even waiting for Goliath to ask. "I'll have the money here within the hour."

"Very good," Thailog said. "Second, my 'disagreement' with Demona three years ago left me somewhat less than whole. She has a certain bauble in her possession that has, shall we say, 'restorative' properties."

"The Bloodstone," Goliath said.

"Precisely," Thailog said. "And finally, I want what is rightfully mine. I want Delilah."

Thailog smiled as he removed the Bloodstone from the pouch and held it up, looking at the white jewel dangling from the thin chain. "I still don't know why you kept this thing all these years, my dear," he said to Demona. "With your immortality, I'm certain it would have been of little use to you."

"It has come in handy from time to time," Demona said, casting a piercing glare at Hyena before returning her attention back to Thailog. "And I still refuse to show you how to use it."

"Oh, I think you will," he said, dropping the Bloodstone back into the pouch. He turned and crossed the cell, approaching Andrea, who was sitting on the floor with Danny. The young artist started to back away from him, but he caught her by the arm and lifted her to her feet. "You have such a rare gift, my dear," he said. "It would be a shame if you were to lose it." He smiled as he looked back at Demona.

"What…" Andrea started as she looked at Demona and saw the fear in the azure gargoyle's eyes as she realized what Thailog was about to do.

"No!" Demona cried out as she stepped forward to stop him, but Jackal and Hyena tackled her, holding her down as Thailog brought Andrea's left arm down across his knee, breaking the limb.

"What are ye doing here, Goliath?" Macbeth asked, coming up from behind Joanna.

"We need your help, Macbeth," Goliath said. "Thailog has abducted Demona."

"You're not cutting me out of this, Goliath," Elisa protested.

"Elisa…" he started, but then Don cut in.

"Elisa, you can't get involved in this," he said. "This isn't a matter for the cops. This is probably going to be a full-blown assault on wherever Thailog's holed up. And how effective do you think Goliath's going to be if he's worrying about you. Not to mention me."

"You're not going," she said flatly.

"I have to, and you know it," he said. He looked at Goliath. "I have a stake in this," he added. "I have to do whatever I can to get her out of there."

"Just be careful," Elisa said, then looked at Goliath. "Both of you."

"We shall, Elisa," Goliath said. He shared a concerned look with Don as she left.

"You have ceased to be of use, human!" Thailog snarled at Danny. He took a step towards Danny and Delilah, intending to end the child's life.

_Revelations and Repercussions Part Two_

Revelations and Repercussions Part Three

**October 28, 1999**

**Manhattan**

**Thailog's lair**

His eyes blazing red in anger, Thailog advanced on Delilah and Danny.

"Thailog, wait," Sevarius quickly said. He raced to the clone's side and whispered into his ear. Thailog listened with deadly intent.

"Yes," Thailog said, smiling. "An excellent idea." He looked down at his bleeding hand. "I will forgive you this little outburst of yours, my dear," he said. "You may find yourself regretting it later." He turned and left the cell, Sevarius and the twins following close behind.

"What he mean?" Danny asked.

Delilah looked at the child she held in her arms. "I think I may have just made a terrible mistake," she said, realizing what Thailog intended to do.

"I guess we won't be needing this anymore," Sevarius said, taking a vial of medication out of his pocket. "It will be interesting to watch the child as he goes through the symptoms of his disorder."

"Not so fast, doctor," Thailog said. "I think we need only withhold the medication for a few days. After Delilah witnesses the consequences of her actions, I'm certain she will become more...submissive."

"Too bad," Sevarius said. "I haven't seen the symptoms of this particular illness in quite some time. It would have been interesting…"

"Wait a minute, doc," Hyena said. "You mean that kid's got some kind of bug in his system? And we've been exposed to it?"

"Don't worry, my dear," Sevarius said. "It's only a simple genetic disorder. And it's completely non-contagious. Even if it were, you no longer have sufficient organic mass to be affected. We're completely safe."

"Yeah?" she said. "That's what they said about DDT, and look where that got us. I'd just as soon get out of here as fast as I can."

"I'm with you, sis," he said. "Let's collect our money and get out of here."

**Macbeth's manor**

**Master bedroom**

Joanna watched as Macbeth adjusted his armor. This was the first time she had seen him wearing it and she had to admit that he looked good in it.

"How come you never wear that around me?" she quipped.

"I never intended for ye to ever see it at all, luv," he said. "It's not something I'd choose to wear on a date." He paused as she picked up his overcoat and helped him into it. "Ye do not have to do this," he said. "In fact, I'd prefer it if ye'd stay here."

"I want to help out, Len," Joanna said. "Besides, Andrea's a friend. I want to make sure she gets out of this alive."

"I'm certain that Demona is more than capable of looking out for her," Macbeth said. "That is, if Angela is telling the truth about her and Andrea."

"I don't think Angela would lie about something like that," Joanna said. "I don't think she's even capable of lying."

"She's not," Macbeth said. "I've known the lass for three years. She is as capable of telling a falsehood as her mother is of falling in love with a human." He closed the overcoat and left the bedroom, Joanna following close behind. Together, they headed for the hanger.

Goliath looked up as he heard Macbeth and Joanna approach. The assault force was gathered around Macbeth's hovercraft; himself, Don, Brooklyn, Sata, Broadway, Angela, Lexington and Xanatos, wearing his Steel Clan battlearmor. The industrialist had insisted on coming; given the fact that Thailog was wearing a modified version of the armor, Xanatos had a better chance of facing him on equal terms. And if the Pack were involved as they suspected…

"Professor Walker," Xanatos said. "Are you joining us in this little 'endeavor'?"

Joanna looked at the suit of armor Xanatos wore for a moment before answering. "Yes," she said. "If I'm going to be a part of Len's life, I might as well share in the risks."

Xanatos looked at Macbeth and smiled.

"Shall we get going?" Macbeth said. "There's only a few hours before dawn, and I for one would like to put an end to this as quickly as possible."

"Agreed," Goliath said. He motioned the other gargoyles into the hovercraft, pausing as he placed his hand on Angela's shoulder. "You do not have to do this, Angela."

"I have to, Father," she said. "Demona is my mother and Delilah and Andrea are my friends. I have to help rescue them."

"I am proud of you, my daughter," he said as he embraced her, then followed her into the hovercraft.

"I'm still wondering why you became involved in all this," Macbeth said to Don as he paused to consider him. Don was readjusting the fit on the armor Xanatos had loaned him, the one Xanatos himself had worn during the confrontation with Thailog at Black Rock Point four years earlier. "Detective Maza apparently knows you, and ye seem to be friends with the gargoyles, but why would you risk yuir neck…"

"Macbeth," Don said, still slightly amazed at meeting the genuine article. "There's something you should know about me. I happen to be in love with Demona."

"What?" Macbeth's eyes went wide at the admission. "Are ye daft, lad? Surely ye know that Demona would never…"

"She has," he said. "Demona and I are lovers. I thought you would have realized that she had someone new in her life by now. Haven't you been experiencing any odd sensations in the past month?"

Macbeth blanched as he realized the magnitude of the situation. He had been experiencing something odd, and now he knew why. _Was it possible that…Nay, it couldn't be!_

"Len, what's wrong?" Joanna asked as she saw him pale.

"It's…nothing, luv," he said. "I'll tell ye about it later." He motioned her into the hovercraft and gave Don a pitying look as he followed him up the ramp. In a few minutes, they were in the air, heading back for the city.

**Thailog's lair**

Demona felt Andrea shift and looked down at her friend as the young artist began to regain consciousness. The glow of the Bloodstone was beginning to fade and Demona realized that Andrea's broken arm was for the most part healed. She touched the arm lightly, and Andrea moaned in pain.

"I'm sorry, Andrea," Demona said.

"It's okay, Dominique," Andrea said as she finally opened her eyes. "It doesn't hurt as much as it did."

"I'm not talking about the arm," she said as she helped Andrea up into a seated position. "I'm talking about this whole stupid mess. I should have told you from the beginning who and what I was." She stood up and walked over to where Delilah was sitting, Danny's head resting on her knee as he rested. She bent down and ran her fingers through his hair. "I never meant for any of this to happen. If I had told you…"

"Would it have mattered?" Andrea asked. She looked towards the cell door. "I've seen what kind of person Thailog is. Even if you had told me, he probably still would have come after me. And I don't think it would have kept him from kidnapping that boy."

Demona looked down at Danny. _At least his color's good, _she thought. _At least that's a good sign. _She heard Delilah sob and looked up at her.

"I messed up, didn't I," she said. "Danny's going to suffer because I couldn't control my temper."

Demona reached out and rested her hand on the clone's shoulder. "This isn't your fault, Delilah. Actually, I'm proud of you for standing up to him like that."

"But now they're going to make him suffer for it," she said. She reached down and stroked the child's head. "He's going to get worse because of me."

"Why?" Andrea asked. "What's wrong with him?"

"He has a congenital blood disorder," Demona said. "It's rare, and requires regular treatments." She looked back at Andrea. "Have they given him any injections since they brought the two of you here?"

"Just one," she said. "The one you called Sevarius gave him an injection a few hours before they brought you here."

"Well, that gives us some time then," she said. "As long as we can get out of here before sunrise, we should…"

The sound of a door closing drew her attention back to the cell door. Already, she could hear Thailog approaching. She stood up and walked to the front of the cell. "What do you want?" she said coldly as he came into view.

"I have come for what is mine, Demona," he said. He looked into the cell and saw that the Bloodstone had finally finished its work. "I want the Bloodstone, and my mate."

"I will never be yours," Delilah snapped.

"Oh, but you will, my dear," Thailog said coldly. "That is, if you want this."

Delilah gasped as she saw Thailog produce a small vial. She knew instantly what it was. _Danny's medication._

"You bastard," Demona snarled venomously and her eyes began blazing red in rage. She took a step towards the cell door.

"My, my," Thailog said. "Such a display of emotion over someone I was going to replace you with. Could it be that you've actually started to form a bond with her? I thought you despised Delilah."

"I did," Demona said. "Once. Not any more."

Thailog smiled at her. "You never cease to amaze me, my one-time love."

"You never loved me, Thailog," Demona snapped. "You only pretended to love me because you were only after my money."

"And you would know the difference, hmm?" Thailog said disdainfully. "You, who has known nothing but hate and loathing for the past thousand years?" He looked into the cell and focused on Andrea. "Ah, well. As much as I would love to continue this conversation, it is not what I came here for." He looked at Demona. "If you would be so kind, my dear?"

Demona turned and headed back across the cell, heading for Andrea.

**The Eyrie Building**

Fox smiled as Elisa stormed into Xanatos' office. _Man, is she pissed! _she thought. "I take it they left you out of their little rescue party," she said.

"You're damned right they did," Elisa fumed.

"Which one?" Fox asked. When Elisa looked at her in confusion, she added, "Which one said it was too dangerous? Don or Goliath?"

"They both did," she said. "But not in so many terms. Don said it wasn't a matter for the cops, and that I'd end up distracting them." More than anything, she wanted to throw something. "The nerve of him!"

Fox waited until Elisa stopped pacing across the office and openly glared at her, wondering about the smile on the redhead's face. "What?" she snapped.

"Men are all alike, aren't they," Fox said. "They think it's their job to keep us safe, but they forget that in the wild, it's the female that's the most dangerous."

"Damn right!" Elisa said.

"Maybe it's time we reminded them of that," Fox said. She leaned across the desk and pressed the intercom button. "Owen?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am," the majordomo's voice replied.

"You wouldn't happen to know where David stashed that spare exo-frame, would you?"

"Of course," Owen replied. "It's in section J, where the exo-frames are normally stored. May I ask why you wish to know?"

"Oh, no reason," she said as she looked at Elisa for a moment, giving her a smile. "You never know when a spare suit might come in handy."

"Understood."

Fox stood up and turned to looked at Elisa. "Wanna go crash a party?"

**Thailog's lair**

Hyena entered one of the facility's storage areas and crossed over to a tarp-covered form. She pulled the tarp away, revealing the large metal frame of Coyote.

"Wakey, wakey," she chimed, rapping her knuckles on the exterior surface. "Time to rise and shine, Coyote."

The robot shifted, then stood up as its systems began to re-initialize. "Good morning, Hyena. Are we making preparations for departure?"

"Yeah," she said. "As soon as we get our cut, we're out of here."

"And the hostages?"

"They're Thailog's problems," she said. "Not ours. We got paid to grab them, not dispose of whatever's left over after he gets through with 'em." She paused as she smiled for a minute. "Although, the thought of taking Demona apart a couple of times does have a certain appeal." She turned to the robot. "What do you say, handsome?" she said. "Wanna go have a little fun?"

Coyote wasn't paying attention to her. He had tapped into the external surveillance system and was tracking something that closing very fast.

"What is it?" Hyena asked, realizing it at almost the last moment.

"We have incoming," Coyote said.

**Macbeth's hovercraft**

"Why am I not surprised?" Don said as he saw their destination coming into view.

"Ye know this place?" Macbeth asked.

"I almost died here," he said.

Angela muttered in agreement as she remembered that night. Two months ago, she had visited Don at the Newtech Building to ask him some questions about a personal matter. They had talked while Don did rounds, but then something unexpected happened. Someone had planted a series of explosives throughout the building, and they started to go off after Don turned on a circuit breaker that had been deliberately shut off. Don had gotten Angela out of the building, but then he went back for Demona, who had stopped at the site to pick up some important papers for a meeting in Paris later that week. Both of them nearly lost their lives…

"Are you certain this is the right place, Macbeth?" Goliath asked.

"Aye," he said. "Demona is here. I can feel her clear as day."

"Then I suggest…" Xanatos started, but then the hovercraft was rocked by an explosion. Joanna screamed as she was thrown into Macbeth's arms and she saw something fly past the cockpit window. "What was that?"

"Coyote," Goliath said, recognizing the robot. Then he saw another figure closing on the hovercraft. It was Hyena. He saw her smile as she popped her wrist blaster and opened fire on the hovercraft.

**Thailog's lair**

Thailog crossed his arms, watching from the other side of the cell door as Demona carefully lifted the Bloodstone from around Andrea's neck and walked back to the front of the cell, reluctantly handing it to him. The Bloodstone had finished its work; Andrea's arm was not completely healed, but enough that she was no longer in pain. She would need to have a cast put on it later though, whatever damage the mystical stone didn't heal, Nature would have to finish.

"You have what you want, Thailog," Demona said venomously. "Let Andrea and the boy go."

"Now, now, my dear," Thailog said, smiling. "Such impatience. Don't you want to stay and reminisce for a while? I'm certain your friend would like to hear all about how we met. Or perhaps she would be more interested to know…"

Demona looked at the clone, wanting desperately to rip out his throat, but he was standing outside the cell, while she was trapped inside, unable to do anything to him as long as he was out of reach. "Thailog," she warned. "If you do not shut up, I will…"

"You will what, my dear," he said coldly. "Smash me? As you did those poor helpless humans you had turned to stone...what was it? Four years ago?"

"Thailog..." Demona growled, even as Andrea gasped slightly. _Turned to stone?_ She remembered Travis Marshall interviewing several people the morning after her sister's disappearance. A woman had come up, saying she knew what had happened. "Everyone was turned to stone," she had said. "Like a bunch of statues." She had been dismissed of course, especially after she admitted she never watch television, but now it got Andrea thinking. _Was it possible that woman had been right all along?_

"I wonder if she lost anyone that night," he taunted. "A close friend perhaps? Or a sister?"

Demona shrieked as she rushed the bars, no longer caring that they were electrified. She hit the cell door and reached through, trying to fasten her talons around Thailog's throat. He stepped just out of reach, smiling as the electricity arced across her body while she continued to try to reach him.

"Demona!" Delilah cried out. She rushed to the front of the cell and quickly yanked Demona away, taking a bit of the charge herself, and the two collapsed onto the floor of the cell, Demona's body twitching violently from the prolonged exposure.

"Well, that was entertaining," Thailog said as he approached the bars. He tapped one lightly to make sure the current was still running, then smiled as he felt a slight jolt. "Now, as I was saying..."

His attention was drawn away as he heard Sevarius run up. "Thailog," he said. "I think we may have a problem."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Unexpected guests have arrived."

The rear of the hovercraft opened, and Goliath dived out, followed by Xanatos and the rest of the clan. They immediately headed for Hyena and Coyote. Macbeth turned to Lexington, who had seated himself at the controls of the hovercraft.

"Get Joanna out of here!" he commanded.

"Right," the small gargoyle said.

"What?" she cried out. "Len, you can't..."

"I canna allow ye to come to harm, Joanna," he said, then turned his attention back to Lexington. "I'm entrusting you with her safety, lad."

"Got it," Lex called back as Macbeth headed for the cargo bay.

"Damn it, Len," Joanna swore as the door closed.

"She's not happy," Don said.

"Your point being..."

"No point," Don said. "Just saying she's not happy. Course, I don't blame you for wanting her out of the line of fire."

"Aye," he said. "Though I'll probably be doing some serious explaining later on. Again."

"Well, the sooner we get this over with, the better," Don said. As Macbeth turned and hopped onto his flitter, activating it and turning towards the open cargo bay door, Don quipped, "Lead on, MacDuff."

Macbeth grumbled. "I swear. The next person who makes that comment to me, I shall personally strangle them myself."

Don smiled as he activated the jetpack of the battle armor and followed him out of the hovercraft.

Thailog watched via a security monitor as the rescue party poured out of the back of the hovercraft and engaged Hyena and Coyote, then spotted Macbeth and Don as they zipped out seconds later.

"Macbeth!" he snarled. "How in the world did he find us?" He looked into the cell at Delilah. "I thought you two checked her for tracking devices," he barked at Jackal.

"We did," the cyborg said. "And we took care of it."

"Then you were followed!"

"We were not followed," Jackal said. "They must have found some other way..."

Their attention was drawn to the cell as they heard Demona begin to laugh. "Thailog, you are a fool!" she said. "You might as well have put a neon sign on the roof, saying, 'The hostages are here! Come save them!"

"What are you..." Thailog started, but the answer was already dawning on him.

"That's right," Demona said, seeing the realization in his eyes. "How do you think Macbeth was able to track me to Manhattan? The link, Thailog. The same link that binds our lives together also enables Macbeth to track me no matter where I go on the planet. And you had those two mental defectives bring me right to you!"

Thailog shoved Jackal towards the door as he saw Macbeth land his flitter on the roof and head for the elevator maintenance hatch. Don joined him at the hatch and ripped it open. "Go out there and stop them."

"Right," Jackal said. "But we might need some back-up."

"I'll provide you with some suitable assistance," Thailog said. "Now go." As Jackal took off, Thailog turned to Sevarius. "It seems we may have overstayed our welcome here," he said. "Prepare my mate for travel. We are leaving."

"Of course," Sevarius said. He headed back towards the lab while Thailog glared at the prisoners. "You may think you have won, Demona. But this game is far from over." He looked at the Bloodstone in his hand before turning down the tunnel and joining Sevarius.

"Now what did he mean by that?" she wondered openly.

"Stay alert," Goliath called out as they closed on Hyena and Coyote. "Watch for the other members of the Pack. They may be in hiding, waiting to catch us off guard."

"Sorry to disappoint, Goliath," Hyena called out. "But you only have to worry about little old me and Coyote..."

A laser blast cut through the sky, almost nailing him from behind. Goliath turned and saw Jackal closing in on them.

"And my brother," Hyena finished.

"And I brought some friends," Jackal said.

The gargoyles eyes went wide as they saw ten Steel Clan Robots following the cyborg.

"Take 'em boys," Jackal said.

"Scatter!" Goliath commanded.

Don looked up as he saw the clan being ambushed by the two cyborgs and the robots. "We've got to help them," he said.

"Dinna worry about Goliath, lad," Macbeth said. "He can handle himself. We have other things to worry about."

Don shot another worried look at the aerial battle being fought above them before turning his attention to the elevator shaft. "Are you sure Demona's somewhere below us?"

"Aye," Macbeth said. "Quite a ways, too. Although it's hard to tell exactly where she is."

"I think I might know," Don said.

"You do?" he asked. "How?"

"When I was working here, I heard a few rumors about a third sublevel below the first two," Don said. "If the hostages are being held anywhere..."

"They'd be down there," Macbeth said.

"Right," Don said.

"I just hope yuir right, lad," he said.

"I just hope there aren't any surprises on the way down."

The two of them started down the shaft.

Xanatos turned and fired as two of the Steel Clan robots closed on him and Goliath.

"How could Thailog have gotten his hands on your robots, Xanatos?" Goliath asked.

"Probably the same way he got the plans for the exo-frame," Xanatos said. "He stole them." He risked a quick look at the robots. "And from the look of things, he modified the designs for these as well."

Goliath looked back at the robot. He could see that the robots were different. There seemed to be a permanent sneer molded into the face of the robot. And the armor had been painted charcoal-black, to match Thailog's own coloring.

"Well, I've had just about enough of this," Xanatos said as he altered direction, leaving Goliath to try to outrun the two robots. He came around and extended his wrist blaster, then opened fire. One of the robots chasing Goliath erupted into a ball of flame. He adjusted his aim to take out the other one when he was almost hit by laser fire from above. He turned and saw Coyote heading towards him.

"Hello, Xanatos," Coyote said as the robot closed on Xanatos. "I've been looking forward to this."

"So have I," Xanatos said. He smiled under his helmet as he touched his forearm. A panel slid open and Xanatos punched in a sequence. Instantly, Coyote's jetpack began to sputter.

"What are you up to, Xanatos?" Coyote asked frantically as he tried to reactivate the failing thrusters.

"You honestly think I'd let you walk around this long without having a fail-safe in place," Xanatos said. He punched in another sequence and the thrusters finally gave out. The Coyote robot plummeted to the ground.

"Coyote!" Hyena called out as she saw the robot falling from the sky. She abandoned her pursuit of Angela and Broadway and tried to beat the stricken robot to the ground.

Coyote got himself righted before he hit the ground, landing hard and felt his knee joints groan in protest.

"Coyote, are you okay?" Hyena called out. "What happened?"

"Apparently, Xanatos embedded a fail-safe code into my primary programming when it was first created," Coyote informed her. "He is attempting to override my systems."

Hyena turned at the sound of Xanatos closing on them. She turned to face him. "I'll take care of Xanatos," she said. "You take care of Goliath and the rest of his killjoys."

"Of course," Coyote said and turned to put some distance between himself and Xanatos.

Xanatos watched as Hyena closed the distance between them. _This shouldn't take too long, _he thought. _I can deal with Coyote later._ He turned his attention back to Hyena. "Hello, my dear. Let's dance."

"I said turn around," Joanna commanded.

"And I said Macbeth will skin me alive if I do," Lex countered. "Besides, what are you going to do, yell at them? Don't worry, Professor Walker. Macbeth can handle himself."

"But what about the rest?" she asked. "Those two...whatever they are...and those robots don't look very easy to beat."

"We've beaten them before," Lex said. "Besides, Xanatos can handle Jackal and Hyena."

"And the robots?"

Lex's response was cut off as the hovercraft lurched. Two of the robots had zeroed in on the craft and were firing at it.

"We've got to put some distance between us and them," Lex said. "I'm..."

This time he was cut off by the sound of a laser charging up. He turned his head and saw Joanna Walker shouldering a pulse rifle. Behind her, the weapons locker stood open. "As I was saying..." she said.

"Do you know how to use that thing?" he asked her.

"Seems simple enough," she said as she examined the weapon. "This is the trigger, right?" She moved to the side hatch and opened it, then sighted in on one of the robots. She squeezed the trigger, and the robot's head blew apart. "Yep, that's the trigger."

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" Lex asked as he saw the headless robot spiraling down towards the ground.

"After what happened earlier this year," she called back as she braced her foot against the open hatch. "I figured that if I'm going to be involved in Len's life, I might as well get as much out of it as I can. I took up target shooting a few months ago." She aimed and fired, and the second robot began falling towards the ground, trailing smoke. "And you have no idea how much fun this is."

"Just don't tell Broadway you enjoy it," Lex said. "He doesn't like guns."

"Why?" she asked.

"It's a long story," he said as he turned the hovercraft around and headed back towards the Newtech site.

"I think this is it," Don said, hovering in the shaft. Macbeth slowed his descent down the maintenance ladder and looked at the doors.

"Aye, lad," he said. "Demona is somewhere beyond that door."

Don reached out and forced the doors open, the added strength granted him by the battlesuit proving more than enough to overcome the mechanism that held the doors closed. He jetted into the corridor and set down, then waited until Macbeth stepped in himself.

"Which way?" Don asked.

"There," Macbeth said, pointing down the corridor.

The two broke into a run.

Demona frowned as she saw Sevarius return, an odd three-nozzled gun held in his hand.

"Well, my dear," he said, looking at Delilah. "It's time we were going. Thailog does hate to be kept waiting."

"I'm not going anywhere with him or you, Sevarius," Delilah snapped.

"And if you think I'm going to stand by and let you take her..." Demona added.

"Now that is what I call togetherness," Sevarius laughed. "A mother, as it were, defending her child. That is touching."

"I give you 'touching', Anton," Demona snarled. "I'll rip out your spleen and other vital organs and place them in a Cuisinart!"

"Oh, very graphic, my dear," he said. "I am impressed." He glanced down at the gun he held in his hand. "But somehow, I don't think you'll have the chance."

"What are you going to do, march her out of here while you hold the rest of us at gunpoint?" Demona said.

"Not quite," he said. He squeezed the trigger.

A gas sprayed out of the nozzles, catching Demona in the face, and she staggered back, choking. She collapsed to her hands and knees as Andrea rushed to her side.

"I do so hate using CS gas," he said, watching Demona gagging, trying to breathe. "But I must admit that it is quite effective." He looked at Delilah. "Now my dear, unless you wish for me to fill the cell with this, you will come along peacefully. This stuff has quite a nasty effect on a child's respiratory system, and I'm fairly certain..."

He never got a chance to finish, because at that moment, a steel clawed hand clamped onto his shoulder and spun him around. The gas gun was quickly ripped from his grasp and tossed aside.

"What's up, doc?" Don said as he shoved Sevarius against the wall. He turned to look at Macbeth. "I've always wanted to say that."

"Don," Delilah called out as she rushed to the front of the cell. "You're here!"

"You think I'd let a creep like Thailog hold two of my favorite gargs like this?" he quipped. Handing Sevarius off to Macbeth, he reached for the cell door. "Though I'm kind of surprised that between you and Demona..."

"Don't!" Demona gasped, finally beginning to overcome the effects of the CS gas. "Electrified."

"Ah, ha!" Don said, snatching his hand back. "Gotcha! What do you say, doc?" he said, turning his attention to Sevarius. "You wanna open that cell?"

"Do I have a choice?" he asked.

"Not unless you want to experience first-hand what being electrocuted feels like," Don said.

"You wouldn't let him..." he gasped, turning to Macbeth.

"Try me, sirrah," Macbeth said flatly.

Sevarius gulped and stepped forward, punching in the access code that turned off the electrical grid and opened the cell door. As soon as it was open, Demona rushed through and threw herself at Don.

"I knew you'd come to our rescue," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.

"Glad to be of service," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tightly. Demona gasped as he did and Don remembered that he was wearing the battle armor. "Sorry," he said.

"It's all right," she said, pausing to look at Macbeth. "I must say I'm surprised to see you, Macbeth."

"Not as surprised as I am to see _this_," Macbeth said, taking in the sight of Don and Demona with their arms wrapped around each other. He looked at Delilah, Andrea and Danny as they came out of the cell. His eyes fixed on Andrea's arm. "What happened?"

"Thailog broke her arm in order to force me to show him how to use the Bloodstone," Demona said.

"That son-of-a-bitch!" Don swore, and for an instant, Demona could have sworn that his eyes flashed a bright green. He started to pull away from Demona.

"No, Don!" she said. "I'll deal with Thailog. You and Macbeth need to get the others out of here."

"You're not going to face him alone," he said.

"I have to, Don," she said. "This is my fight. Thailog and I have 'unfinished' business with each other." She kissed him again and turned to head down the corridor. She paused as she looked at Andrea. She could see the look of uncertainty in her friend's eyes. _Will we be friends after this? _she wondered. "Andrea..."

"Promise me," she said, cradling her arm. "After this is all over, we'll talk?"

"I promise," Demona said. She touched Andrea's cheek lightly before racing down the corridor.

"Get them out of here, Macbeth," Don said as he turned to follow her.

"Where do ye think..."

"I'm going after her," Don said. "I'm not going to let her face that maniac on her own." Without waiting for a reply, Don took off after Demona.

"Crazy, lovestruck fool," Macbeth cursed. He turned to Delilah. "There's a side passage back that way, lass," he said, pointing back the way he and Don had come. "It leads to an elevator shaft. We'll join you there."

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked.

"After them," he said. "Neither one of them is thinking straight, and it's liable to get them both killed." He shoved Sevarius into the cell and closed the door. "This will keep you out of trouble until we come back for you, doctor," he said. "Go," he said, turning to Delilah. Then he bolted down the corridor.

"Come on," Delilah said, picking up Danny and extending her hand to Andrea. "We are getting out of here." She started down the corridor.

"Wait a minute," Andrea said. "He said the elevator shaft is back in the other direction."

"But Thailog went this way," Delilah said. "And I'm guessing there's another way out in the same direction." Pulling Andrea after her, Delilah headed down the corridor.

Sevarius shook his head in disappointment. "And here I was beginning to think you were the smart one, my dear," he said. Reaching through the bars of the cell, he placed his hand over the access pad and activated the door. It opened and Sevarius took off in the other direction.

The fight was not going well for the gargoyles. Despite their best efforts, and the crack shooting courtesy of Joanna, Thailog's Steel Clan robots and the twins continued to keep the gargoyles and Xanatos on the defensive.

"We need to come up with a new plan," Brooklyn called out to Goliath as another pair of robots closed on them.

"We need to regroup," Goliath replied. Together, they altered course and headed for a nearby rooftop. "Angela, Broadway, Sata," he called out, drawing the attention of the others. The rest of the rescue party converged on Goliath and Brooklyn's position, save for Xanatos, who was having problems of his own.

Hyena extended her arms and legs and wrapped them around Xanatos, trying to immobilize him long enough for Jackal to use the cutter in his arm to open up the chest of Xanatos' exo-frame. Fortunately, Xanatos wasn't about to give Jackal the chance and jetted away from him.

Unfortunately, he was unable to dislodge Hyena.

"I love a man who plays hard to get," she quipped.

"While you just play hard to get rid of," Xanatos countered. He put himself into a tight spin that threatened to overload his suit's electronic guidance system, but he was finally able to shake off Hyena. She fell away, but managed to right herself and dived at Xanatos again.

Goliath watched the aerial cat and mouse game between Xanatos and the twins while searching the sky for the remainder of Thailog's robots. He found them harrying the hovercraft, keeping it from approaching while moving too fast for Professor Walker to shoot down.

"We have to help Lex and Professor Walker," Angela said.

"I agree," Goliath said. "But we cannot abandon Xanatos to the mercy of Jackal and Hyena."

"And don't forget," Brooklyn said. "We came to rescue the hostages, not fight a prolonged battle. Sunrise is a little over an hour away."

"Oh, I don't think you should worry too much about sunrise, Brooklyn," came the sound of Xanatos' voice. They turned just in time to see Coyote land on the roof behind them. "After all, you'll all be dead long before then."

"Move!" Goliath called out.

"I don't think so," Coyote said. A panel opened on his shoulder and a very familiar weapon popped into view. Coyote's distortion generator. The gargoyles fell as he swept it over them.

"It's just you and us now, rich man," Jackal said as he watched the gargoyles collapse.

"And very soon, it'll be only us," Hyena said.

Xanatos looked at the twins flanking him, then his attention was drawn skyward. "Oh," he said, smiling behind his helmet. "What about them?"

The twins looked and caught sight of two more exo-frames speeding towards them.

"Well, well," Hyena said. "Look who's decided to join the party."

"And she brought a friend, too," Jackal said.

"Friend, schmend," Hyena said. "That's probably just a hologram. Look, it's the same color as Fox's."

It was true. The exo-frames were identical, right down to the paint job, which was blue.

"But which do we figure out which one is the real one?" Jackal asked.

"Here's how," Hyena said. She popped a mini-missile launcher and fired at the incoming exo-frames. The one on the right opened up with its suit's laser blaster and vaporized the missiles.

"That one's got to be Fox," Hyena quipped. "Keep Xanatos busy, brother. She's mine."

Jackal watched as his sister streaked upwards, heading for Fox, before turning his attention back to Xanatos. "Now it's just down to you and me."

"And her," Xanatos said, indicating the exo-frame the Hyena ignored.

"That's just a hologram," he said. "I'm not going to be taken in by an illusion."

"Are you sure it's not real?" Xanatos said.

"It didn't try to shoot down the missile," Jackal said. "So it's got to be a fake."

"Try telling her that," Xanatos quipped.

Jackal turned as the sound of the exo-frame's jetpack filled his ears. _Wait a minute, _he thought. _Holograms don't make any noise. _"What..." he started, just as the exo-frame barreled into him, knocking him from the sky. Out of control, Jackal fell to the roof of the Newtech Building and didn't get up again.

"I told you she was real," Xanatos said as he watched Jackal hit the roof. "Excellent timing, my dear," he said to the hovering Steel Clan battlesuit. "As always."

"Guess again, Xanatos," Elisa's voice came over the suit's concealed speakers.

Xanatos' eyes went wide in surprise behind the helmet. "Detective Maza? Well, I must say that this _is_ a surprise."

"It sure was for him," Elisa said, nodding towards Jackal.

"Although, I'm surprised that you managed to get here in one piece, detective," Xanatos said.

"Give your wife some credit," Elisa said. "Fox had me remotely tied into her suit's navigation system while she gave me a quick course on how to work this tin can."

"She is just full of surprises, isn't she," he said.

Elisa looked skyward, focusing on Fox. "Although, it looks like she could use a little help right about now," she said.

"And Goliath is in serious need of help dealing with Coyote," Xanatos said. "I'll deal with him. You go help Fox." He started towards where Coyote had the clan pinned down.

"Xanatos, wait," Elisa called out. "Where's Don and Macbeth?"

"I haven't seen them since they headed into the Newtech Building," Xanatos said. "I hope they haven't run into any trouble."

_Me too,_ Elisa thought as she took off across the sky towards Fox and Hyena.

Thailog reached the lab at the end of the corridor and recovered the briefcase, tossing the Bloodstone inside and headed for the far end of the lab. As he reached the wall, a hidden door opened, revealing a passageway.

"I always knew this day would come," he said. Setting down the briefcase for a minute, he opened a hidden panel in the wall and pressed a series of buttons.

"Goodbye, Demona," he said.

"Goodbye yourself!" she snarled.

Thailog turned, and Demona leapt at him, talons extended, intending to do more damage to the clone. Quickly, he brought up his arm and knocked her aside.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you escaped that cell, my ex-love," he said. "I guess that also means that your friends are already on their way out."

"Leaving just you and me, Thailog," she snarled as she got up. Reaching over, she ripped the chain that Sevarius had used to restrain Delilah out of the wall and began swinging it. "And this time, I won't leave until I'm certain that I've destroyed you."

"Are you certain you'll have the chance?" Thailog sneered.

"What do you mean?"

"I've rigged this facility to explode, Demona," he said. "Just like before."

"What?" she gasped.

"Haven't you been wondering who set those explosives that decimated Newtech all those months ago?" he said.

"It was you!" Demona snarled.

"Of course, now I'm ready to finish the job," he said.

"What do you..." she started, but then she realized what he meant. _They were in one of Newtech's underground lab complexes! _"You miserable...!" She jumped at him.

Thailog grabbed her by the throat as she hit him, intending to snap her neck, but then Demona squirmed out of his grasp and got behind him, then threw the chain around his neck. Thailog barely managed to get his fingers under the chain before she tightened her grip and began to try to strangle him.

"You...won't have time...to warn...your...friends," Thailog said, trying to pull the chain loose. Demona quickly brought her knee up and set it against his back, using it as a focal point to help her tighten the chain around his neck even more.

"I'm certain they'll have ample time to get clear once they hear the explosions begin," Demona said. "And if I have to die in the blast, I'm taking you with me!"

"And what...of your friends...down here," Thailog managed to say.

"If I'm right, they're already..."

"Demona!" Don called out as he raced into the lab.

_No! _Demona thought in dismay. "I told you to take the others and leave!"

"I wasn't about to..."

"Get out of here!" she cried out. "Thailog has set this place to blow up!"

"Not without you!" he said. He pulled the other length of chain from the wall and raced across the lab towards them.

Thailog struck out, catching Don across the face as he ran up, and knocked him back.

"Don!" Demona cried out as he hit the floor.

Thailog used her moment of anguish against her and fell backwards against the wall, driving her into the concrete and causing her to loosen her grip. It wasn't enough, though, and Demona managed to hold on, tightening her grip on the chain around his neck even more.

"Demona!"

Demona looked up as Macbeth came running into the lab. "What is it with you men, dammit?" she cried out. "Is there something about the words 'Get out!' that you have trouble with? Get out of here, Macbeth! And take Don with you!"

"I don't think so," Thailog said. He extended his wrist blaster and fired at Macbeth as he ran to Don's side.

Don saw the bolt heading for Macbeth and pushed him out of the way. The blast hit him instead.

"No!" Demona cried out, and this time, Thailog managed to shake her loose. He grabbed a section of rebar that had been left behind during the recent construction and stabbed Demona with it, driving it between her ribs and through her chest until it exited through her back. Demona screamed in pain and Macbeth groaned as he felt Demona's pain before collapsing onto the floor in agony.

Thailog lifted Demona with the rebar and viciously rammed the bloody end into the wall. She screamed again as she felt herself hit the wall, and she heard Macbeth cry out a second time.

"I do so wish I had the time to prolong your suffering, my dear," Thailog said calmly as he pulled the chain from around his throat. "But I do have places to go, things to do, people to kill. Speaking of which..." He paused as he turned his attention towards Don.

Don moaned as he tried to get up. He was in a lot of pain; the blast from Thailog had caved in the front of the armor, and he was certain it had cracked a few ribs. He managed to look up and saw Thailog, holding Demona against the wall with a bloody piece of rebar that had pierced her chest.

"I must admit that I was surprised to find that you had taken a human as a lover, my dear," Thailog said. "It is so unlike you."

"He's...more of a male...than you'll ever be," Demona gasped.

"Really," Thailog sneered. "Or perhaps it's just that you've lowered your standards, Demona. Well, there's no accounting for taste, I guess." He gave the rebar a twist, causing Demona to cry out in pain, before focusing on Don. "At any rate," he said. "It's time I concluded this little drama. I really must thank you for showing up, Mr. Taylor. It saves me the trouble of tracking you down myself. Say goodbye to your lover, my dear."

"No!" Demona cried out as Thailog aimed his wrist blaster at Don.

Thailog never got off the shot. As soon as he heard Demona cry out, Don's head shot up, focusing on Thailog, and a green eldritch glow washed over him.

"Get away from her!" he shouted.

And Thailog was flung across the lab.

The clone hit the far wall with a solid thud, and then the same unseen force flung him across the lab a second time, this time he hit the wall so hard that it cracked the exterior of his armor. Sparks began flying from damaged joints and severed connections as Thailog tried to stand up again.

"How..." he started before starting to collapse. He fell to the floor, barely able to move. "This is not happening," he groaned in protest. He looked over and saw Don sag to the floor, insensate. Willing himself into motion, he dragged himself towards the open door, pausing for a moment to grab the briefcase and drag it after him. As soon as he was through the door, it closed behind him.

Jackal groaned as he regained consciousness. Looking up, he caught sight of his sister tangling with Fox, and the second exo-frame was closing on them. He pushed himself up, then grimaced as he realized that several of his key systems had sustained damage.

"Oh, that's just perfect," he said. He got to his feet and took off across the sky, heading for his sister, who didn't know she was about to be blindsided.

"Well, Fox," Hyena said. "Ready to call it quits and give up?"

"Not in the least," she said as she saw Elisa closing towards them. "Although, you might want to."

"I don't think..." she started, but then she was hit from behind by a blast from Elisa's wrist blaster.

"That's right, Hyena," Elisa said. "You don't think. With all that hardware, it's a wonder you have any real brains left."

"Who..." Hyena started as she halted her fall.

"Three guesses," Fox said. "And I'll give you a hint. It's not Owen."

Hyena grumbled. "Blasted detective," she yelled. "What is Xanatos doing, selling those damned things through Radio Shack?"

"Just leveling the playing field," Elisa quipped as she took position next to Fox. The two of them hovered, side by side, as they looked down at Hyena and Jackal, who finally reached his sister.

"I get the feeling this has become a no-win situation, sis," he said. "Let's get out of here while we can." She reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"This isn't over, Fox," she called back over her shoulder as they started across the sky. "Coyote, let's get out of here!"

Coyote looked up to see Jackal and Hyena heading out across the sky. As he turned, Goliath got up and charged the robot.

"Uh, uh, Goliath," Coyote said, quickly turning around. "You wouldn't attack me with my back turned, would you?" He aimed the generator at Goliath.

"Maybe not," another voice said. "But I would." Xanatos came zipping in and blasted the generator, giving Goliath and the others the chance to recover and retreat.

"And I thought you were trying to cultivate a 'good-guy' image, Xanatos," Coyote said. "Oh, well. Nothing lasts forever."

"You got that right," Xanatos said. He opened the panel on his arm and tapped in a command sequence.

"I don't think so," Coyote said. "I've already identified and bypassed those command codes. So long, Xanatos." The robot turned and fired his jets, taking off after Jackal and Hyena.

"But you probably didn't find all of them," Xanatos said. He smiled as he tapped in one more sequence.

"Uh, oh," Coyote said, just before his entire program deleted itself. The robot shut down completely and fell from the sky. Goliath and the others rushed to the edge of the roof just in time to see the robot explode as it hit the ground.

Hyena watched helplessly as the robot burned out of control. "Coyote!" she cried out.

"There's nothing you can do for him," Jackal said. "Come on. I'll buy you a Giga-pet. Let's just get out of here."

"This isn't over with," Hyena called out as they disappeared from sight.

"You want to know something, Goliath," Xanatos said as he joined them, taking off his helmet so he could see Coyote's destruction with his own eyes. "That felt oddly satisfying."

Goliath turned to face him. "How did you..." he asked.

"When I first had Coyote built," Xanatos said. "I had an override sequence inserted into his primary programming. Something to make sure I didn't lose control of him."

"Then why didn't you use it when we learned that Madoc had recreated him," Goliath asked.

"Because I didn't have the override codes installed into the suit's computer then," Xanatos said. "And up until that point, I never really needed them. You were kind of hard on them, Goliath." He looked up as the two blue exo-frames descended towards them.

"At least Fox and Owen were able to turn the tide in our favor," Goliath said. He looked at the two new arrivals. "Your timing could not have been better."

"I got news for you, Goliath," Fox said as she removed her own helmet. "This isn't Owen."

"Then who..." he started, then gasped as the wearer of the other exo-frame removed her helmet. "Elisa?"

"Surprised to see me?" she asked.

"I...I...that is..." he stammered.

"Wow!" Angela said. "I never would have guessed that it was you."

"Maybe next time, you guys won't be so quick to cut me out of any rescue missions," she said.

"After all," Xanatos said. "She does wear that exo-frame quite well."

Elisa cast a dark look at him. "Watch it, Xanatos," she warned before returning her attention back to Goliath. "Now all that's left is to find Demona and the others and get out of here."

"I think we have a more immediate concern at hand," Goliath said.

"What?" she asked.

"Them."

They all turned and saw three of Thailog's Steel Clan robots heading straight for them.

Macbeth moaned as he moved, trying to stand up. The rebar that Thailog had plunged into Demona's body was causing her pain, and that was causing him pain. He looked at the fallen gargoyle and took a step towards her. "Ye'll probably hate me for doing this, Demona," he said. He finally reached the unconscious female and touched the bar. "But it's the only way..."

"Macbeth, no!" he heard a voice call out. He paused as he saw Delilah racing towards him.

"I thought I told ye to..."

"It's a good thing I didn't," she said. "Otherwise..."

"Oh, my God," Andrea gasped as she saw her friend lying unconscious on the floor, with a section of rebar sticking out of her. "Dominique!"

"She'll be all right," Macbeth said. "Ye have my word."

"But, that...bar," she gasped.

"Don't worry," Delilah said. "I need you to check on Don. See if he's all right."

"You wouldn't know it by looking at me," she heard Don groan. She turned to see Don rise slowly to his feet and stagger over. "Oh, God," he said as he saw the injury to Demona. He bent down and touched her cheek lightly. "Sweetheart..." he gasped.

Demona moaned as she slowly regained consciousness. She tried to get up, but winced and fell back as she realized the rebar was still in her. "Thailog..." she gasped.

"He's gone," Don said. "I don't know where."

"We have to..." she started.

"We'll find him later," Delilah said. "Right now, we need to..."

"No," Demona said. "Have to...get out of here. Thailog...did something. Set to explode..."

"Oh, hell," Don said as he stood up, grimacing in pain as he did. "We need to move."

"I won't be able to move very fast with that rod sticking out of her," Macbeth said. "And I doubt that ye'd be able to carry her..."

"We need to remove it," Delilah said. She touched the rod hesitantly, afraid to cause Demona any more pain, but she didn't have a choice.

"But you're not supposed to," Andrea said. "When I learned first aid, they always said..."

"Demona's a special case," Macbeth said. "She'll be better off if we take it out now than if we leave it in." He looked at Delilah. "I probably shouldn't try to help," he said. "If anything goes wrong..."

"I understand," Delilah said. She looked up at Don. "I need you to hold her down."

"Right," Don said. He placed his hands on Demona's shoulders and looked down at her. "Hold still, Demona," he said. "This is going to hurt like you wouldn't believe."

"You'd be surprised," she gasped. "What I'd believe..."

Delilah carefully wrapped her fingers around the rebar, and gave it a hard yank. It came out, spraying blood and Demona screamed before blacking out.

Macbeth groaned as he felt the rebar leave Demona's body and dropped to his knees, trying hard to remain conscious.

"Are you okay?" Andrea asked.

"Aye," Macbeth groaned. "There's a link that binds our lives together. Whatever Demona feels, I feel,"

"I heard Demona mention it to Thailog," she said. "But I never imagined..."

"It's not important now," Don said. "What's important is that we get out of here." He bent down to lift Demona, but groaned loudly as he did.

"I'll take her," Macbeth said. "Ye've probably got a cracked rib or two from that blast."

"I'm not going to argue with you," Don said as he stepped back.

Macbeth bent down and carefully lifted Demona's unconscious form in his arms. "Delilah, you help Don. Ms. Calhoun, can ye handle the lad?"

"I think so," she said. She lifted Danny as carefully as she could with one arm and held him close.

"Then let's get ourselves out of here."

They made their way back to the elevator shaft, stopping briefly at the cell to grab Sevarius, only to find him already gone, and they found Goliath and the other gargoyles waiting for them.

"Demona," Goliath gasped as he saw the injury to his former mate. "What happened?"

"Thailog stabbed her," Macbeth said. "She tried to strangle him, and he paid her back for it."

Goliath rumbled deep in his chest in outrage. Even though Demona had tried to kill him and the rest of clan numerous times over the past few years, she was starting to show some real change in her ways, and he was beginning to view her as a friend once more. "Where..."

"Don't know," Don said, his arm slung over Delilah's shoulder as she supported him. "But we don't have time to look for him. Thailog's got this place rigged to blow, and we don't know how much time we have left."

"Up the shaft, quickly!" Goliath commanded. He took Don from Delilah and had Don wrap his arms around his broad neck before leaping into the shaft and heading for the roof. Together with Broadway, Angela managed her mother and Brooklyn and Sata carried Andrea, while Delilah took Danny. Macbeth brought up the rear.

"Lex," he called over the microphone pinned to his jacket collar. "Meet us on the roof."

"Gotcha!"

As soon as the hovercraft touched down, everyone scrambled to get on board, the gargoyles helping those who had been injured, while Elisa and the Xanatoses polished off the remainder of Thailog's Steel Clan. As soon as they were on board, the hovercraft left the roof and turned towards the castle.

"Now, my dear," Thailog said. He had managed to get himself to a secure location several miles from Newtech after he dragged himself to a waiting underground transport. "We end this." He pressed a button on the panel.

The hovercraft was buffeted by a shock wave as the building below them exploded. It lurched violently, throwing everyone off their feet, but Lex managed to regain control of the craft and headed it out across the sky.

"Nice flying, Lex," Xanatos said. "Good job."

"Is everyone okay?" Goliath asked.

"Yeah," came the response. "We're all fine back here, Goliath," Elisa added. "Considering what just happened."

Goliath stepped over to her, watching as she and Delilah began to strip the damaged armor from Don. "How is he?"

"Lousy," Don moaned. "But you should see the other guy."

"The 'other guy' got away, Don," Elisa said.

"Don't remind me," he groaned.

Andrea stepped cautiously over to Macbeth, who was supporting Demona against his chest while Joanna did her best to dress the wound. Angela was kneeling next to her, holding her hand. "Dominique?" she said hesitantly.

Demona's eyes opened slowly at the sound of her voice. "An...drea?" she gasped tiredly. She managed to focus on the young artist and saw the questioning look in her eyes. _What...do I say to her? _she thought, knowing already what was going through her mind.

"Dom," Andrea said. "What he...Thailog said. About my sister. Is it..."

Tears began to spill from Demona's bloodshot eyes. "I'm...sorry, Andrea," she said.

Tears were threatening to spread across Andrea's face as well. "Why?" she asked.

"I was angry, bitter, resentful," Demona said. "I hated humanity with every breath I took, and I wanted to make them pay for what had been done to my kind. I used magic to cast a spell..." She paused as she looked at Andrea's tear-filled eyes. "I wanted to tell you, Andrea. But I was afraid of what you'd think of me. I didn't want to lose you. I've lost so many of the people I care about already, I didn't want to add you to the list..."

"But...I'm human," Andrea said, kneeling down until she was level with Demona's face. "If you hate us so much..."

"I lost that hate," Demona said. "When I learned I had a daughter," she paused as she looked at Angela. "I wanted nothing more than to have her accept me, despite all that I've done. And when I learned that a human had saved her life..." She paused again, looking over at Elisa. "All the old hatreds started to fall away. And when I met you...and Don..." She grimaced in pain as she felt Macbeth shift under her.

"You couldn't hate us any more," Andrea said.

"No," she said. "Andrea, I never wanted to hurt you. If I could, I'd go back and try to change everything I'd ever done. But I can't. I can't erase the past. I told you I made mistakes in the past, and your sister..." She saw the pain in the young artist's eyes. "Andrea..." she said, reaching out to her.

Andrea carefully reached out and threaded her fingers through Demona's, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I forgive you, Dom. I know that you want hard to make up for everything you've ever done, and telling me what happened to Helen is a start."

"But..." Demona started, sensing there was something more.

"But," Andrea said. "I am going to need some time to deal with this. You've kept this secret from me, and I need to step back and see where this takes us."

"I didn't want you to hate me," Demona sobbed.

"Dom," Andrea said quickly, seeing fresh tears fall down her face. "I could never hate you. You're my friend and...I love you." She let go of Demona's hand and wrapped her good arm around Demona's neck, hugging her as tightly as she could without causing the wounded gargoyle any further discomfort. After a moment, she broke the embrace and stood up, tears still flowing down her face, but there was a trace of a smile on her face. Angela stood up and helped her into seat for the trip back to the castle.

**October 31, 1999**

**The Eyrie Building**

Owen stepped into Xanatos' office, carrying a folder. He paused as he saw that Xanatos was watching the feed from one of the external cameras. Andrea Calhoun had arrived at the castle and was standing at a small bronze marker that had been placed in the flagstones in the courtyard. He cut the feed as he turned to Owen. "Yes," he said. "These are the damage estimates you wanted, Mr. Xanatos," Owen said. 

"And..."

"It will be at least another three days to repair the damage to all three exo-frames, sir," he said. "Fortunately, the damage to the suit Detective Maza commandeered..."

"Don't think of it as 'commandeered', Owen," Xanatos said. "Think of it as 'requisitioned'. After all, I did have that suit designed for her."

"Of course, sir," Owen said.

"You were saying?"

"The damage to that suit was minimal, as was Fox's. The damage to yours, of course, was more substantial. And the damage to the battle armor you loaned to Mr. Taylor..."

"How is he, anyway?"

"Dr. Howard said Mr. Taylor made a full recovery and has already been discharged," Owen said. "The impact from Thailog's wrist blaster did not penetrate the armor, and Mr. Taylor only sustained three bruised ribs. None broken."

"I always wondered how much punishment that chest plate could handle," Xanatos said. "Now I know. Any word on Ms. Roswell's condition?"

"Dr. Sato at Manhattan General reports that her condition is stable and she is expected to make a full recovery."

"Good," Xanatos said. "Make arrangements to have her medical bill paid..."

"That's already being seen to, sir," Owen said.

"Good work, Owen," he said, smiling.

"I cannot take the credit for that, sir," the majordomo said.

"Oh?"

"Demona has already seen to Ms. Roswell's medical needs," Owen said. "She is on Nightstone's payroll, after all."

"I'd almost forgotten about that," Xanatos said. He paused as he turned his chair to look out at the early night sky. "Is there anything else, Owen?"

"Yes, sir," he said. "What is to be done with the remains of Coyote?"

"Make sure that his program has been completely wiped, Owen," he said. "Then I want a complete systems check before reconstruction begins."

"Are you certain that is wise, sir?" Owen asked. "Goliath may object..."

"I invested substantial resources into the original Coyote project, Owen," Xanatos said. "And I intend to see some returns. Goliath may object, but I think he'll come around when he sees what I have in mind."

"Very good, sir."

"That'll be all, Owen," Xanatos said. After he left, Xanatos turned the security monitor on and watched as Goliath and the clan joined Andrea at the marker.

"I want to thank you for this," Andrea said as she looked at the gargoyles.

"It was Mother's idea," Angela said. "She thought...she wanted to do something. So your sister wouldn't be forgotten."

Andrea knelt down and lightly touched the simple brass marker imbedded in the ancient stones.

'_In Memory of Helen. You Shall Not Be Forgotten.'_

"It's beautiful," Andrea said. "And it's just the kind of memorial Helen would want."

"It seemed only fitting," Goliath said softly. "To place it here so it would stand over the very scroll Demona used that night."

"It is," Andrea said. "I want to thank you for this." She looked at Angela. "All of you."

"There is a tradition among our kind to hold a Remembrance ceremony," Goliath said. "To honor the memory of fallen members of the clan. If you wish, we could hold one for your sister, so that we may share in your memories of her."

Andrea smiled at the big gargoyle. "I think she would have liked that."

Together, they stepped away from the marker and headed into the castle, leaving one unseen gargoyle behind.

Demona watched from the top of the tower as the gargoyles led Andrea inside. She wanted to join them, but she knew it was too soon. Andrea needed time to grieve the loss of her sister, and she would only serve as a painful reminder of the one who took Helen from her. _Later, perhaps, _she thought. When she would be able to forgive herself. For what she had done, and what she was about to force herself to do.

_I have to let him go._

**November 3, 1999**

_From the journal of Mme. Dominique Destine,_

_I've come to a decision, and it's tearing me apart._

_I don't want to do this, but after what happened this week with Thailog, I really don't have a choice. I have to give him up._

_Like I said, I don't want to do this, but I have to. I care about Don too much to risk losing him if Thailog ever found out that he and I are lovers. I almost lost him once this year, even though I didn't know it at the time, when Thailog sabotaged the Newtech site and Don almost sacrificed himself rescuing me. If it hadn't been for the Bloodstone, I would have lost him, and I never would have experienced his tender touch._

_I can't risk that, now that Thailog has made off with the Bloodstone, and I don't have the resources to create another one. If he were to find out just how truly dear to my heart Don is, I shudder to think what that animal would do to him. Thailog has already hurt someone very close to me, my dear friend Andrea, and he has threatened to hurt my daughter Angela more than once. I have to give up Don in order to protect him._

_It probably won't be easy. I don't think I ever truly fell in love with Don the way his former fiancée, Elisa Maza did so many years ago, but I have a feeling he fell in love with me. Probably the romantic in him, I suppose. I hope he understands why I'm doing this. I can't afford to lose him. He has so much potential…_

_I still remember the first time, that wondrous first time we made love. Not sex. Love. Pure and passionate and all-consuming. I don't think anyone has ever touched me the way Don did on that night. Not Thailog, nor Macbeth and not even Goliath, who loved me more than any other gargoyle did._

_For someone as strong as he is, Don had a surprisingly soft touch. I was truly amazed by the fact that, unlike most humans, he didn't grab or poke, he stroked and caressed gently, his fingers tracing the contours of my body as he explored my being that first night, until he was satisfied that he had found my centers of pleasure. His hands seemed to take on a life of their own when we were together, and I guess that was why it was so pleasurable. He seemed to take great satisfaction in the giving of pleasure, rather than the receiving of it, and I guess that was why his former mate Elisa had such a hard time giving him up. He most certainly knows how to treat a lady._

_Which is one of the reasons why giving him up is going to be so hard. I can't afford to allow my own carnal desires to become the instrument that Thailog would only be too happy to use to get at me. He's struck at me through Andrea, my friend. I can't allow him to use a lover against me in the same fashion, even though Don has assured me that he can handle himself if Thailog should try again. Since he's beaten him once already, Don told me that he just might be able to defeat him next time. But I worry, not because Don is overly confident in the belief that he can take on Thailog and win. It's because something happened to him at Newtech the night of the rescue, something he doesn't want to talk about, but I can guess what it is. His powers have...changed...somehow._

_I should be thinking about what I'm going to tell Don, not wondering what's happened to his powers, but I can't help it. If he had better mastery of his abilities, I probably wouldn't need to worry. Thailog would never stand a chance against a full-blown Mage, but Don's abilities have eluded him of late, ever since that night. Spells that were simple now seem to be just beyond his grasp, and it's frustrating, both for him and myself. I wish I knew what happened, but I had blacked out and I didn't see what took place. And Don has been reluctant to talk about it. I wish he would open up to me, tell me what happened. Maybe if I talked to him, convinced him to..._

Demona looked up from her journal as she heard a knock on the front door. _He's here,_ she thought sadly. She sighed as she set the pen down on the page and got up from her desk to answer the door and break the sad news to her lover.

_I have to let him go._

Don looked up as he heard the door open. He smiled as he saw Demona standing in the doorway and took a step towards her, opening his arms to embrace her. He frowned slightly as she stepped back.

"Is something wrong, sweetheart?" he asked, worried.

"We...need to talk, Don," she said hesitantly.

"Sure," he said, taking a step inside. As soon as Demona closed the door, Don put his hands on her arms, but she flinched and pulled away. "Demona, what's wrong?"

"I want..." she started, turning away from him. "I want you to leave me."

"What?" Don gasped. "You can't be serious."

"I am," she said, already feeling tears flowing down her cheeks. "I can't...I don't want you anymore. You've ceased to be of use to me."

"You don't mean that," he said, taking a step towards her.

_No, I don't, _she thought bitterly. More than anything, she wanted to throw herself into his arms and lose herself in his embrace. But she couldn't. She couldn't risk losing Don if Thailog were to return.

"Yes, I do," she said, trying desperately to keep her voice steady. "Your powers have left you, Don. You're of no use to me without them."

"I know why you're doing this, Demona," he said. "And it won't work. You can't tell me..."

"Yes, I can!" she snapped, turning to face him. "Do you think that I would allow a _human _to touch me in the way you did if I didn't expect something in return? I only allowed you into my bed because it was the only way I could get you to begin harnessing your abilities."

"I don't believe that," he said, looking at her. He could see the pain in her eyes. _She's ripping herself apart, trying to convince me she doesn't love me._

"Believe it," she said, quickly turning as she felt tears running down her face. "You're no longer of any use to me. Now I want you gone. Leave me alone."

"Demona..." he started as he stepped up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're not..."

"I said leave me alone!" she screamed. Spinning, she struck Don across the face and knocked him across the foyer. He fell, landing on his back, then sat up slowly as he saw the look of horror on her face. _She'd never struck me before, _he thought in surprise.

Demona stood there, seeing the look of surprise on his face, and the look of her own horror reflected in his eyes. It took all of her self-control just to keep from running to his side and begging his forgiveness. "Get out!" she said, unable to keep from sobbing. "Get out now!"

Don got to his feet and took a step towards the door. "If that's what you want."

_No, _she thought in agony. "Yes," she said. "Just go."

Don turned and opened the door, then stepped outside. Demona quickly closed the door after him and, unable to hold back the torrent that threatened to overwhelm her, put her hand over her eyes and began to weep bitterly.

Don paused as he heard the door close. He could hear Demona sobbing inside but, much as he wanted to, he couldn't go back inside and comfort her. She wanted him gone, out of her life, and it was killing her, and there was nothing he could do. He rubbed the side of his face, and looked down at the faint traces of blood on his fingertips, from where she had struck him.

"You know I'll always love you, Demona," he said, knowing that she couldn't hear him through the closed door, or over the sound of her own sobbing. "And I forgive you. I just hope that someday you'll be able to forgive yourself."

He turned and walked down the steps, heading for his motorcycle. In a few minutes, he was gone.

**Castle Moray, Scotland**

**May 20, 2255 AD**

"Auntie, what's wrong?" he heard someone ask as he rushed down the hallway. _God, I hope I'm not too late!_

Don burst into the dining hall and watched as a ball of flame collapsed in on itself. Even as the flames of the Phoenix Gate disappeared, he was rushing to Jerusha's side.

He looked down at the small gargoyle as she took another step towards Demona.

"Auntie," he heard her say again.

Don quickly ran over to Demona and caught her as she started to collapse. He snatched up the goblet and looked at it.

"Demona, what's going on?" he asked needlessly. He already knew what she had done.

Demona looked up at him with tired eyes. They opened wide when she realized who was holding her. "Don?" She tried to lift her arm to his face, but found that she couldn't.

Don looked over at Macbeth, who was sitting down in a chair, waiting for the inevitable. "The two of you really did it, didn't you?" he snapped. He threw the goblet against the wall. "What was it, Macbeth? Hemlock?"

"Aye," the former king said tiredly.

"Typical," he said. He set Demona down and ran to the door. "Delilah, in here!"

Demona looked up as the hybrid clone raced into the room. She quickly handed a pouch to Don before pulling Jerusha aside.

"Auntie Delilah," Jerusha said, looking up at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later," she said. She began leading the child through the doorway.

"Is Auntie Demona gonna be okay?" she asked.

Delilah looked over at her mate. "She'll be fine," she said, but with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

After Delilah left with Jerusha, Don turned his attention back to Demona.

"How did...how did you know?" she asked weakly.

"You honestly think those three tramps can keep secrets from me?" he said as he opened the pouch Delilah had given him. "Who do you think brought Jerusha here?"

"The Weird Sisters," Macbeth groaned.

"Yeah," Don said bitterly. "They said that they didn't need you anymore." He quickly reached into the pouch and pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. He went over the spell twice to set it firmly in his mind and then recited it. _"Show the health and true nature of all whom I behold."_

Demona realized what he was doing. He was reading her aura. She knew what he would be seeing. Her and Macbeth would be surrounded by a rapidly fading greenish glow. She saw his eyes flash as the spell took hold.

The sickly greenish glow was there, just as Demona suspected, but there was something odd about it. It shifted in color and intensity, going from pale green to light blue. His hand reached into the pouch and retrieved a familiar pendant.

"The Bloodstone," Demona said. "Don, that won't..."

"I'm hoping it will," he said, cutting her off. He looked at Macbeth. "Which of you took the poison?"

"I did," Demona admitted. "But Macbeth gave it to me."

"But you took it freely," Don said. "He didn't actually pour it down your throat."

"No," Demona said.

That's what Don was hoping to hear. If Macbeth had actually administered the hemlock himself, or if he had tricked her into taking it, there would be no hope of saving either of them. He took out the rest of the components he needed and pulled a short knife from his boot, setting it by the bowl that he placed on the floor. He then set the Bloodstone in the bowl and draped the chain over the side.

Don looked at Demona again, satisfied that the spell that allowed him to see her and Macbeth's auras was still in place. Demona's aura continued to shift between sickly green to pale blue, but its time in blue was dwindling. He picked up the knife and slashed it across the palm of his hand. He noted the look of disapproval on Demona's face. _Okay, so it's not the proper ritual, _he thought ruefully. _You can yell at me later. _He clenched his fist and blood began to drip into the bowl and onto the Bloodstone. The stone flared brightly and the blood vanished. He quickly picked it up by the chain and began to settle it around Demona's neck.

"No," she protested, finally mustering enough strength to bring her hand up to try to push it away. "Please, just let us be."

"No way, sweetheart," he said. "I didn't spend all this time in Avalon, waiting for this day, just to let you kill yourself." He straddled her and pinned her arms with his legs, then set the chain around her neck. The Bloodstone glowed brightly as it touched her skin and he could tell by her aura that its magic was working.

"What is the meaning of this?" he heard a voice call out. He got off Demona and spun around to face the Weird Sisters.

"I just saved their lives," he snapped back.

"This was not part of the bargain," Luna said.

"You were not to interfere," Phoebe added.

"There will be a price to pay," Selene said.

"You know what," Don said. "I don't care. Do your worst."

"You cannot know what will be exacted, sorcerer," Selene said.

"But you will in time," Phoebe added.

He looked to the white haired Luna, expecting her to pick up where her sisters left off. "Nothing to add," he said, noting that she was unusually quiet.

"I have said my peace to you long ago, human," she said. "What you have done here was not what was to be." She turned away from Don as her sisters disappeared. She locked eyes with Delilah as she came back in with Jerusha. The gargoyle gave her a venomous look before the Fae disappeared in a burst of light.

Don quickly went back to Demona's side and helped her to her feet. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Why?" she asked.

Don caressed her cheek. "I couldn't let this happen. Not after what Brooklyn told me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a centuries old letter. "He hoped that this day could be avoided." He looked to the spot where he had seen the flames of the Phoenix Gate collapse. "Before he died, he entrusted me with this letter. He couldn't tell me outright what was going to happen, but I had a feeling it wasn't good."

Demona took the letter and read it.

_Don,_

_I know this letter comes at a bad time, but I need your help._

Demona looked up at him. Glancing at the date on the letter, she realized that it had been written less than a month after Elisa's passing. She continued to read.

_I guess you know by now that everything you heard about what happened to me is true. Yes, I traveled through time and I saw more than anyone, human or gargoyle, should have to. I thought long and hard about what I can tell you and what I can't, even though I learned a long time ago that no matter what I do, nothing can change the course of history, past, present or future._

_I need you to keep an eye on Demona for me. I know the two of you didn't part on the best of terms, but you're the only hope she has to keep her from doing something extremely stupid. She'll probably hate you for it, but she and Macbeth are headed down a path of self-destruction, and I need you to stop them. If not for their sakes, do it for Jerusha's. She needs Demona, and I'm pretty sure that right now Demona needs her too._

_Brooklyn._

Demona crumpled up the letter and tossed it aside angrily. "You should have just let us die!" she said, crying. She turned and looked at Delilah. "The two of you could have watched over her."

"Nothing would make me happier," Don said. "But it wasn't my call. You know that your board of directors would never turn over control of Nightstone to her, not until she comes of age, and they would never accept either one of us as her legal guardians."

"So that's what this is all about?" Macbeth said. "Corporate politics?"

"No, dammit!" Don said. "I still care about you, Demona. And right now, we're all each other has in this world."

"For how long?" Demona asked. She looked back to Delilah and Jerusha before returning her gaze to Don again. "If I know the Weird Sisters, they've probably already told Oberon what you did, and I'm pretty sure he won't let you back into Avalon, not after this."

"I don't care," Don said. "Let Oberon have his hissy fit over this. It wouldn't be the first time I thumbed my nose at him."

"But you'll grow old and die," Demona said. "Just like everyone else in my life."

"Demona, I was growing old on Avalon," he said. "Nothing can stop the passage of time for us mortals, you know that. And you think I don't regret outliving Elisa and our son?" He looked to Delilah before turning his attention to Macbeth. "We both understood the risks of leaving Avalon to come here. Why do you think we sent the kids to stay with Serena last month?"

Demona thought about little Peter and Diane, and their older brother Samuel, Don and Delilah's children. She had wondered why they had been sent to Manhattan. Apparently, they had been planning to leave Avalon for quite some time. She felt her shoulders sag. Now there were three more loved ones she was going to be forced to watch grow old and die.

"That still dinna give ye the right to interfere," Macbeth snapped. "Do ye honestly think we enjoy watching our loved ones die around us?"

"No, I don't think you do," Don said. "Because I know I don't. But I can't let two people who I care about take their own lives, either."

Macbeth picked up a rotted timber. "That isn't yuir decision to make, laddie."

"I'm making it my decision," he returned dangerously.

Macbeth raised the timber and Don lanced out with a bolt of energy from his hand. It caught Macbeth in the chest and threw him back across the table. Macbeth got up, somewhat surprised by how quickly he recovered from the blow, and dived off the table at Don. Don met him with a blow to the jaw that rocked his head, but didn't knock him down.

Macbeth realized that Don was pulling his punches. That bolt should have killed him outright, but Don had lessened the intensity for some reason. _Like he could honestly do any permanent damage,_ Macbeth thought ruefully. Angered, he charged him, and Don decked him again, this time landing a blow that would leave Macbeth with a black eye.

Demona watched as Don pounded on Macbeth, realizing that Don didn't want to hurt either one of them, but Macbeth wasn't giving him much of a choice. She flinched when she saw Don land another blow, this one to Macbeth's eye, and her hand shot to her own eye in reflex. It took her a full five seconds to realize she hadn't felt it. _That was odd,_ she wondered as Don landed another punch._ Why wasn't she feeling anything? Was she so inured by the years that she no longer felt the pain anymore, or was it something else? _Her hand drifted to the Bloodstone.

Delilah quickly got between Don and Macbeth and tried to keep them at arms length. "This is pointless!" she shouted. She glared at Macbeth, then Don, and opened her mouth to berate them both when Demona spoke.

"No, it's not," she said. She walked over and stood in front of Macbeth, then reached up and gingerly touched the growing bruise around his eye. Macbeth hissed in pain, but Demona _didn't._ He looked at her in surprise.

"You didn't…" he started.

"Nothing," she said. "I didn't feel any of it."

Macbeth reached up with his hand and caressed her cheek. His fingers registered the touch, but he couldn't feel the sensation on his own cheek. He then touched at his injured eye. The swelling should have started subsiding by now, but it wasn't. He realized what had happened.

"It's gone," he said. "I don't know how, but our connection is gone."

"I think I know," Demona said, turning to look at Don. "This is the price the Weird Sisters were talking about, isn't it?"

"I had a feeling this would happen," he said. "The only way to save both of you was to sever your link to each other." He walked over to Demona and removed the Bloodstone from around her neck. "I wasn't sure the Bloodstone had that kind of power, but it did help that you had tried to fulfill the conditions of the curse."

"One of us had to destroy the other," Macbeth said. "I'd say we more than tried. We would have succeeded if not for you."

"I don't think you would have the way you were going," Don said. "You gave Demona the hemlock, but she took it freely, knowing full well what it was." He put the Bloodstone into the pouch and began retrieving the rest of his things. "That's what gave me the mystical loophole to save both your lives."

Demona felt a tug on her arm. She looked down and saw Jerusha looking up at her. "Are you and Unca Macbeth gonna be all right now?" she asked.

She looked over at Macbeth and couldn't stop the tears of joy she felt welling up in her eyes. "Yes, Jerusha," she said. "I think we'll all be all right now." She bent down and scooped up the small gargoyle hatchling into her arms. "Come on," Demona said. "I thinks it's time we went home and started living our lives again."

Macbeth placed his hand on her shoulder. "I think this time, we all can," he said. He removed his hand and followed her out.

Delilah looked over at Don and smiled. "You did a good thing, my love," she said.

"God, I hope so," he muttered.

"What?"

He looked up at her. "Nothing," he said. "You go on ahead and make sure they get out of here okay. It'd really suck to save their lives only to have one of them killed by accident."

Delilah wrinkled her brow. "Sure," she said. She headed for the door, turning back once to give him a worried look.

After she was gone, he turned to address the darkness.

"Okay, we're alone," he said.

Titania, Queen of Avalon, stepped out of the shadows. "You saved their lives, I see," she said. "Despite Oberon's decree."

"I couldn't just stand by and let them do it," he said. "I've lost too many people I care about already. Elisa, Tom, my own parents." He paused as their images flashed across his mind. "I was not going to let Demona and Macbeth end their lives, too."

"But it was their decision," Titania said. "You were not to interfere. You agreed to this when…"

"I know," Don said. "I wasn't supposed to interfere in human affairs. But I'm human too, cuz. Or had you forgotten?"

"I have not forgotten," Titania said. "But it appears that there is something you may have. Despite the familial connection, I am still queen of Avalon, and I am due a certain level of respect." She paused. "Even from you, Archangel."

Don paused for a moment, fuming. _The nerve of her,_ he thought. _After what she and Oberon tried to pull…_ "And you think that also gives you the right to interfere in _my_ life?"

"You are of our blood," Titania said. "Even though it has been severely thinned by a millennia." She hesitated as she saw his expression turn dark. "I will admit that what Oberon and I did may have been…ill-advised…"

"Ill-advised?" he snapped. "You tried to have Luna seduce me? Even though you knew I was still mourning Elisa's death."

"It was ill timed, Archangel," Titania said. "But…"

"And will you stop calling me that," Don said. "My name is Don Michael Taylor, not Archangel. I gave up that name when I gave up piloting."

"To us, you will always be Archangel," Titania said. "It is your calling, no matter how much you try and deny it."

"I don't think so," Don said, turning to leave.

"Arch…" Titania started, but paused when she saw the green eldritch glow in his eyes as he turned to face her again. "Don," she quickly amended. "You have great power, a gift, that should not be squandered. Return to Avalon with me. I am certain that we can convince Oberon to overlook this small 'infraction'."

"Do what you want, cuz," he said. "I'm not playing your games anymore."

Titania watched as Don left. After several minutes, she turned back towards the shadows.

"He certainly is impertinent," Oberon said as he stepped forward.

"That he is," she said. "You know where he gets it from."

"Yes," Oberon said. "We shall have to have a long discussion with her about that when we return to Avalon. In the meantime…"

"What do you plan to do?" Titania asked. "Do to him what you did to Puck?"

"No," he said. "Puck was mine to command, and I was well within my rights to punish him. Archangel, on the other hand, is a different matter altogether. Despite his lineage, he is still mostly mortal, and therefore beyond my control. And I suspect he would not appreciate further interference from us. Need I remind you what happened the last time we tried to impose our will on him?"

Titania remembered. They had tried to pair Don off with Luna, despite his objections, and those of his half-breed mate. Things got ugly very quickly after that.

"So what do we do?" Titania asked.

"We leave him be for now," Oberon said. "Eventually he will come around to our way of thinking."

"Perhaps," Titania said. "But somehow I doubt it."

Oberon raised his eyebrow as his wife disappeared. Moments later, he vanished as well.

Neither of them saw Garlon step out of the shadows as they departed. _Soon, _he thought. _Soon, I'll get even with the one who killed Madoc. Demona's days were finally numbered._

The End


End file.
